TAMPA – Jameson Taillon called putting on a Yankees uniform on Thursday for the first time “special”.
“When you say it, everyone in baseball – any sports fan – knows what the Yankees pinstripes mean,” Taillon said Friday. “So [Thursday], putting it on, even just sitting at my locker, I took a photo in my pants just by my locker. I thought it was so cool. I didn’t know what it would feel like until you actually come here and you are a part of this and you start to feel part of the team and the organization. … I mean, it’s the Yankees. What more can you say? “
More importantly to the Yankees, Taillon felt as good as throwing as he comes back from a second Tommy John operation that sidelined him for most of 2019 and all of last season.
“I’ve had a good command and the stuff is good,” said Taillon. “I have the feeling that I will soon be ready for the next step. We’ll see how it translates. “
He expects to meet batters soon and, after what Taillon called an “intense 35-pitch bullpen” on Thursday, he was able to pitch for a long time on Friday and said he “felt great”.
There is plenty of competition for fifth place on the grid this spring and Aaron Boone said on Friday that Deivi Garcia will remain a starter instead of moving to the bullpen.
“We want him to start,” Boone said.
Garcia, 21, said he was “simplifying” and “sharpening” all four of his pitches off-season.
Others in the pen could provide length, including Jonathan Loaisiga.
“We will build it,” Boone said of Loaisiga. “He has versatility.”
The Yankees could have some arms that could open the season in the pen.
“I think that’s possible,” Boone said.
Darren O’Day and Adam Ottavino are both right-handed, but have completely different approaches and all. In a team – and in a bullpen – with many hard pitchers, O’Day, who throws side weapon, is certainly different, which pitching coach Matt Blake hopes is a positive development for the staff.
“I don’t know if we explicitly said we should vary our looks [in the pen], ‘Said Blake. “But I think it’s valuable to have different looks across the bullpen, so you don’t run with seven of the same guys and the other team adjusts to that.”
Before closing a deal with Brett Gardner on Friday, the Yankees only had one player – Aroldis Chapman – who was part of a World Series-winning team. When asked about the relative lack of title experience, Boone said, “We feel like we have a lot of strong personalities leading in a number of different ways and we can still add something to that mix.”
With Gardner back in the sheepfold, they have.
Boone also added, “I feel good about the guys coming up as leaders in our room,” pointing to Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit as examples.