So we're a few games into Spring Training, and I have to say, I'm wondering where January and February went. If I blink, I might miss Opening Day! The main storylines surrounding the Yankees in Tampa have begun to play out, and after seeing the first couple of games, I just thought I'd give my take on some of the most notable kids we've seen so far. 

Ivan Nova - looked sharp in a couple of innings against Philly. I'm curious to see how he'd do if he pitched deep into his spring time outings, as Nova's problems as a starter in the Majors last season came around the fifth innings of his outings. Still, coming off a great showing in winter ball in the Dominican League, I don't think there's any way he doesn't claim one of the two openings at the back of the Yankees starting rotation. Bartolo Colon looked OK in his first audition for the other. Freddy Garcia, come on down.

Dellin Betances - set Twitter ablaze with a strong inning of work in Spring Training game no. 2 against Philly. Topping out at 97 on the radar gun, breaking stuff in the low 80s, smooth delivery...the reasons to be excited are easy to see. YES' Jack Curry suggested the thought of possibly using the 22-year-old righty in the bullpen at first to ease his way into big league life. Had the Yankees not signed Rafael Soriano, and if the team had glaring holes in the 'pen, I'd be all for it. I know a lot of fans probably have bad memories of Joba Chamberlain's situation, but remember, Phil Hughes was a huge part of the Yankees' 2009 championship season as a reliever and he's turned out fine. Still, with a deep bullpen and other rotation candidates, I think the Yankees' best bet is to start Betances at Triple-A, let him continue to refine his game, and he'd be my first choice if another starter was needed due to injury or back-end inconsistency from whoever emerges from Spring Training in the rotation.

Brandon Laird - last year's Eastern League Rookie of the Year and MVP has not looked overmatched, but he did struggle at Triple-A last year following a late-season promotion. He appears to be in competition with veteran Eric Chavez for a back-up spot, and like my feeling with Betances, I feel Laird would be best served in Triple-A for now. Provided Chavez doesn't suffer an injury, let Laird play first base and the outfield on a regular basis in Scranton and continue to develop. He won't turn 24 until September and appears to have real potential.

Jesus Montero - we'll see more from him as the spring goes on for sure. We know his bat is ready, and after Betances credited Montero for his strong spring debut, all I personally need to see from him now is a few throws to second. My stance hasn't changed. If Martin can handle the everyday job behind the plate as the season begins, Montero should make the roster as the back-up catcher (with Jorge Posada #3 of course). Maybe my stance would change if Martin's knee and hip issues meant he couldn't handle heavy workload coming out of the gate. If that were the case, I'd say Francisco Cervelli should stick around due to his MLB experience. In my Yankees Universe though, Montero gets a roster spot to open the year.

(Blogger's dislcaimer: this was written before seeing video of Manny Banuelos' outing Monday against the Tigers. However...a scoreless inning on seven pitches, two strikeouts? It sure looks impressive from the box score.)