Last spring the Yankees had a slew of 5th starter candidates. I remember reading the various scouting reports and had hoped that Jordan Montgomery would get the last rotation spot. He had 4 great pitches, excellent command, and really didn’t have anything left to learn in the minors. He entered 2017 camp as a dark horse candidate to make the roster, but forced the team’s hand after striking out 17 and walking only 3 batters in 19.2 innings. Sometimes spring performance does matter. Who knew?
While everyone remembers Severino bursting onto the scene last season throwing 100 and finishing 3rd in the Cy Young voting, Montgomery is often forgotten.