About Spring Training: A Few Appetizers

About the Off-Season: A Few Appetizers

By Tim Kabel

February 19, 2026

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 The Yankees will open their Spring Training schedule tomorrow against the Baltimore Orioles. The regular season opens on March 25th against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco. This is exciting. There used to be a substantial delay before the games began in Spring Training. That is no longer the case. Position players reported on February 16th and the first game is on February 20th. I have a few thoughts on Spring Training and the Yankees in general. In the spirit of the new way of running Spring Training, let's get right to it.

·       I was wondering why the games start so much earlier in Spring Training now than they used to. Well, it seems to me that it's because the season itself starts much earlier than it used to. I remember when Opening Day used to be in the first week of April. Now, it is at the end of March. The Yankees open on March 25th. This is all due to the extra rounds of playoffs that extend the season. Because Major League Baseball does not want the seventh game of the World Series played on Thanksgiving, everything gets moved up. Also, Spring Training itself has changed. Years ago, the players frequently had other jobs during the off-season and would use Spring Training to get into shape for the season. These days, the players are in shape and work out all year long. Obviously, they need to get game ready which is why it makes sense to start the games earlier in Spring Training. Everything sort of fits together to result in the system we have now. I'm not going to say if it's better or worse than the way things used to be. It's just different. Things change. I think the days of intrasquad games are over, at least for the most part.

·       The Yankees seem to have righted the ship regarding international signings. Now that Mario Garza has replaced Danny Rowland in that department, things seem to be stabilizing. This week, Yankees signed teenage catcher Sebastian Perez out of Venezuela. Perez was described as a blend of Aaron Judge, Elly de la Cruz, and a little bit of Yadier Molina thrown in. That seems a bit much but who knows. Even more exciting, the Yankees signed a 16-year-old catcher, Marko Morua, out of Hungary. He is the first ever player to be born and raised in Hungary to obtain a deal with a Major League team. When Marko settles behind the dish, I wonder if it will be chicken paprikash.

·       The Yankees will be starting Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange in their first two Spring Training games. That is exciting. It will give fans a look at two of the top young pitching prospects. It seems that Elmer has cancelled the Cruz in his name and is now going by Elmer Rodriguez. I am very much looking forward to seeing both of these pitchers as well as Ben Hess and some of the other young hurlers. It will also be nice to see George Lombard, Jr.. Whether any of these youngsters has a chance to make the Major League team out of spring training is unclear. It seems that Lagrange and possibly Hess might have a legitimate chance because they could conceivably fill a roll in the bullpen, especially if Hess throws gas. George Lombard needs a lot more seasoning but the more at bats he gets in Spring Training, the better because it will give him experience.

·       My greatest hope for the Spring Training is that both Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones tear the cover off the ball. I want them to make it as difficult as possible for the Yankees to send them to the minor leagues. There is no downside for the Yankees if that happens, truthfully. If Dominguez and Jones are playing at a very high level, it may force the Yankees to make some decisions. Otherwise, they will be sent to the minor leagues and presumably will continue to hit well. If for example, Trent Grisham reverts to form and struggles, there will be a great hue and cry to bring up either Dominguez or Jones. If the Yankees suffer an injury that affects the outfield, the same thing will happen. Trading either or both of those youngsters would be a huge mistake, particularly because it is unclear what type of performance the Yankees will get out of Grisham this season and also because he is only signed through the end of 2026. It would be awful if the Yankees traded away either Dominguez or Jones and then needed them to play a prominent role next year and wound up bringing Oddibie McDowell out of retirement.

I hope all of you enjoy watching or reading about the first spring training game for the Yankees and the performance of Elmer Rodriguez. I know I am looking forward to it.