Like last spring, Bryan Mitchell has been the best potential starter candidate in camp aside from Masahiro Tanaka this year. Last spring Mitchell was electric, and if the fifth starter competition were based entirely on Grapefruit League performance, he would have beaten out CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova for the spot. Instead, he had to settle for a bullpen job before breaking his toe covering first base.
Of course, it’s still pretty early in the spring, so Mitchell is only making his third Grapefruit League outing today. It’s hard to handicap the fourth and fifth starter’s race at this point, though the fact he’s the only one of the fourth and fifth starter candidates who has yet to allow a run can’t hurt his chances.