NY Yankees rumors and Japanese sensation Masahiro Tanaka have been synonymous over the course of this offseason, and now it looks like we have an approximate date to get a full glimpse of Tanaka as a starter.
Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com reported earlier today that NY Yankees manager Joe Girardi has Tanaka listed as "a safe bet" to start in either his third or fourth appearance in Spring Training.
Girardi is being understandably careful with the much-hyped Masahiro Tanaka, stating, "I want to see how (spring training) goes...I think it's just fair to see how he's doing physically at the end of this. Because that's one of the biggest adjustments he has to make.''
While pitching with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japan Pacific League, Masahiro Tanaka was accustomed to pitching just once a week.
Therefore, Joe Girardi and NY Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild are carefully trying to acclimate the new international face of the franchise to pitching every fifth day.
Despite having to be patient, Girardi is just as excited as anyone else to see what Masahiro Tanaka brings to the table--"It's his first outing, so hopefully he keeps his emotions in check and that's what you worry about a little bit, guys trying to do too much...I'll be watching along with everybody else.''