Does Somebody Else Actually Have A Shot At The 5th Spot In The Rotation?

It's still early in Spring Training, but so far the Joba-Hughes battle for the last spot in the rotation has been greatly overshadowed by the performances of Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves. In their first 2 outings they have both looked impressive, and it raises the question of how serious are the Yankees about the race for the 5th rotation spot actually being an "open competition?"

Everybody from Joe Girardi to Brian Cashman has sworn up and down that this is a legit 5-man race between Joba, Phil, Mitre, Ace, and Chad Gaudin for the 5-spot in the rotation, but everybody with half a clue assumes it is going to come down to Joba and Hughes and everybody else will be herded into the bullpen or the minors.  The question that needs to be asked is, if Joba and Hughes don't perform well enough to prove they should win the spot, or if Mitre or Aceves continue to pitch lights out, will the Yankees keep true to their word and give the guy who pitched the best his shot?

I personally don't see it happening.  The organization has spent so much time over the last couple seasons grooming Joba and Phil to be starters that it would be seen as a waste internally if one of these guys isn't in the rotation this year.  At that point you can pretty much say the Joba Rules and Joba's entire 2009 season were a waste of time, and nobody in the higher branches of the Yankee tree likes to admit they were wrong.  Even if Joba or Hughes don't pitch that well for the rest of the spring, whoever does pitch better will be given the spot and it will be their spot to lose.

On the other hand, as blog after blog has pointed out, you don't need a world beater as your 5th starter, and nobody is accusing Mitre or Ace of being world beaters.  If they continue to pitch well and earn the 5th spot, I would feel just as comfortable with Mitre or Ace in the 5-spot and a bullpen of Gaudin, Park, Robertson, Marte, Hughes, Joba, and Mo.  It would be like a modern day version of the Cincinnati Reds' Nasty Boys 'pens of 1990 and would allow Joe the depth to cover for weak performances from the 5th starter or anybody in the rotation and keep Mo fresh for the stretch run of the playoffs.  Any way you look at it, it's a win-win and something to consider.

It's still way too early to speculate, and if Hughes or Joba shows even a hint of being able to nail down the last spot, it's going to go to them no questions asked.  But you have to admit that with the way things have started out with Joba and Phil not being overly sharp and Mitre and Aceves looking dynamic, this "battle" for the last rotation spot is certainly more interesting than it initially looked like it was going to be.