Early New York Yankees Spring Training Stats To Monitor

It's early still (sigh) but there are some interesting numbers being piled up by the New York Yankees players this spring. Let's ignore the regulars that will definitely make the Yankees roster for this post, and focus on the "on the fence" players.

Cesar Cabral- .429 BAA vs. lefties is not a stat the Yankees want to see. Cabral is pitching well against righties, but in the limited time vs. lefties, the lefty hitters are hitting Cabral well. Cabral is a Rule V draftee, so if the Yankees do not keep him on their MLB roster he must be returned to the Boston Red Sox. Look for Cabral to get more time vs. lefty hitters.

Phil Hughes- 8.1 IP, 8 hits allowed, five strikeouts. In addition to that, Hughes has a sparkling 1.08 ERA, and the talk of Spring Training is he is gradually developing an out pitch.

David Phelps- 7.2 IP, 0 ER. If the Yankees didn't sign Hiroki Kuroda, my bet would be that both Phil Hughes and David Phelps would make the rotation this season. Phelps is pitching his tail off, and could force his way onto the roster as a long reliever, though I would not be a fan of that decision.

Austin Romine- .280 OBP, 2 HR. Injured forever.

Brandon Laird- 2-17. It's early, but that doesn't look so good. Just something to keep an eye on.

Justin Maxwell- .455 OBP, but only a .313 OBP vs. right handed pitchers. The Yankees are giving Maxwell at bats vs. righties, perhaps signaling that they are willing to let someone beat Raul Ibanez out for a roster spot?

Raul Ibanez- 1-22 vs. righties. Can we stop saying his struggles are due to his facing left-handed pitchers?

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Eric Chavez- 3-22. I'm keeping an eye on him, does he have to be guaranteed a roster spot?

Bill Hall- .409 OBP vs. right handed pitchers in 18 at bats. Keep an eye on Hall, who can play almost every position.

D.J. Mitchell- 9 IP, 5 h, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 0.89 WHIP. Mitchell was never a highly touted prospect, but look out for him as a possible long relief candidate.

Clay Rapada- 5.1 IP, 2 h, 0 ER. Looks like Rapada is the leading candidate for last spot on the roster.

Jorge Vazquez- .143 OBP in 19 AB. Ouch.

Dewayne Wise- .500 OBP in 19 AB. Not ouch!

Of course all these stats are small sample size, but keep an eye on all of them to see if they remain consistent over the rest of Spring Training.