Garcia, Colon, Mitre compete for a job

TAMPA, Fla. - During the first day pitchers and catchers reported, Joe Girardi said the battle for the Nos. 4 and 5 spots in the starting rotation would be an "open competition."

But with the exception of Ivan Nova, who started seven games last season, the Yankees would prefer to have the other spot go to one of the older pitchers in camp.

"I think you're looking more toward the veteran guys a little bit," Girardi said Thursday. "We don't want to rush our young players. We want to make sure they're ready to perform."

Which isn't to say it's impossible that one of the young pitchers in the competition - Adam Warren, David Phelps, Andrew Brackman or Hector Noesi - will end up with a spot in the rotation. But the greater probability is that it will go to someone from the group of Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Sergio Mitre.

General manager Brian Cashman has said two of the club's top pitching prospects, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, are here to experience big-league camp for the first time and will start in the minors.

Of the trio of Garcia, Colon and Mitre, Garcia would seem to own the edge, having done the job most recently, though Girardi said all the candidates are "on equal footing."

Garcia, 35, signed to a minor-league deal, went 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA in 157 innings for the White Sox last season. Colon, 37, also signed to a minor-league deal, hasn't pitched in a major-league game since 2009.

"Freddy competes," Girardi said. "That's the best way that I can describe Freddy Garcia. . . . Bartolo, we haven't seen that in a couple years, so it's a little harder for me to imagine what it's going to be like for him. But the Bartolo I remember was a guy that could really command the baseball, and I've seen that the little bit he's thrown [in camp]."

Mitre, 30, went 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in three starts last season but was effective as a long reliever, going 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 24 games. In the five-man competition for the fifth spot in the rotation in spring training last year, Mitre went 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in six games. (Hughes, who won the spot, had a 4.35 ERA in six games.) "He's going to start some games," Girardi said of Mitre. "He was very good when he started last year in the competition."

The bottom line is that the fourth and fifth spots will not be handed out now. "These spots are open," Girardi said. "You have to go out and earn them."