Thoughts on yankees game (waiting on line to continue to drop, opened at -126, down to -107 currently)
Montgomery - First MLB start; which is my only real concern but the daygame helps as he has less time to stew/think. He commands 5 pitches to both sides of the plate, and is not a pure finesses lefty sitting in the low to mid 90's. He excelled at all levels, including a sub 3 ERA and sub 3 FIP last year across 2 levels. Leftys in NYY stadium help neutralize the short porch, added with command and 5 pitches is a plus. He was also a 3 year starter in college, giving him almost 7 full season of starting without a single start missed. He outpitched everyone in the yankees "competition" this spring, including Sevy who got the 4 spot. He was leaps and bounds ahead of Cess/Green/Mitchell, and commands nearly twice as many pitches as Sevy. He is near MLB ready that a prospect can, and although he doesnt have #1 stuff, he could be a #3 stalwart for years to come. Also he is 24, he is not a kid in his first level, but he isnt a 30 year AAAA type. Ive been waiting years for this type of NYY pitching prospect....not all hype, just a solid MLB ready starter.
One interesting thing to watch is his catcher today. Based on how Girardi loves set roles (see bullpen, 7-8-9), I expect Romine to start today, especially w the day off yesterday and how well he caught Pineda Monday. That said, Higashioka will have to start games, and this is the perfect day. He is a righty with 20 HR power against a lefty starter, he caught Montgomery the majority of his starts, and it allows Romine to start Tomorrow and Thursday before the yankees play 18 games in 20 days. I would LOVE to see Higashioka behind the plate today, and could sway this play even higher. Leaning first 3 unit play of the year here, with a very rested NYY bullpen.
