Pineda could be odd man out to begin season

TAMPA, Fla. -- Spring training numbers will matter to Joe Girardi when he decides on the final rotation spots, but he made it clear Thursday that the track records of the candidates will, too.

He made the point several times before Thursday night's game against the Orioles, seemingly a positive for Ivan Nova and possibly a sign that Michael Pineda could be the odd man out.

"You have to look at everything, but you have to look at his body of work last year," Girardi said. "You can get caught up in judging people in spring training, and sometimes that judgment is not always true for what you'll see during the season. I think you have to look at what he did last season as well."

What Nova did in 2011 was produce a season that had him in contention for AL Rookie of the Year honors. Shrugging off what some thought was an unfair demotion to the minors July 3, he went 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA. He won his final 12 decisions, compiling a 3.25 ERA and holding hitters to a .297 on-base percentage in that 16-game span.

"He was pretty good pretty much the whole time we had him," Girardi said.

Phil Hughes hasn't been officially named to the rotation, but it is almost a certainty that he will be. Girardi, his staff and general manager Brian Cashman will choose from Nova, Freddy Garcia and Pineda for the final two spots.

Girardi seemed to make his preference known for one of the jobs Wednesday, talking up Garcia, and hinted at leaning toward Nova on Thursday.

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"Some of these guys' track records aren't long, and you want to feel . . . they're going into the season with their stuff, with their weapons," Girardi said. "But I think last year is important."

Pineda's exhibition numbers have been better than Nova's but he hasn't had his full complement of weapons. His fastball velocity, which was in the range of 95 to 97 mph in the first half of 2011, has been in the low 90s this month. And weighing 2011 heavily would tilt things in Nova's favor. Pineda went 8-6 with a 3.03 ERA in the first half last season and, one scout said, sometimes looked "like the best pitcher in baseball." But he went 1-4 with a 5.12 ERA in the second half to finish 9-10, 3.74.

Girardi was asked if outside factors such as how a particular player might react to losing the competition and not starting the season in the majors might affect his decision.

"In Yankee-land, it's winning," he said. "Obviously, you're concerned about feelings, and depending on who it is, you might have to do a little bit more work making sure that you get them headed back in the right direction. But we have to do what's best for this year."

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Nova allowed three runs and seven hits in 71/3 innings in a minor-league game Thursday, utilizing all four of his pitches for the first time in spring training, according to Russell Martin. "He hadn't put it all together yet this spring," he said. "Today was one of those days he had everything . . . I think he's going to have a great year. I like his intensity. He wants the ball."

Girardi has given plenty of hints the last couple of days for those inclined to read tea leaves, but it's all guesswork. The meeting to make a final determination hasn't occurred.

"We have to do what we have to do," Girardi said. "Like I've said, this is not going to be an easy decision. Someone's not going to be happy. That's the bottom line."