VIDEO: JA Happ Dominates Phillies Once Again and Locks up Righties as Hot Spring Training Continues
By Adam Weinrib
The New York Yankees have plenty of depth at their disposal, and are built to survive injuries -- which is great news for them, considering they seem to trip into more injuries than any other team in this fair game. After an offseason in which he was nearly traded, JA Happ has somehow become the team's No. 3 starter and an important steadying veteran presence, and he continued his resurgence on Monday. Though Spring Training numbers mean very little, Happ's looked like a new man, expressing confidence in his fastball and riding it in on the hands of the righties he faces. His latest outing in Clearwater against the Phillies was a masterclass in staying aggressive.
Though Happ surrendered his first home run of the Spring on Monday, it was the only run he allowed in four innings, replete with five additional strikeouts. His ERA sits at 1.38, and he's displaying a renewed mindset that was all too rare in 2019.
Hopefully, the confidence translates, because Happ looks like an all-important new man.