TAMPA — Paul Blackburn could be a steal.
Blackburn, who was re-signed to a one-year, $2 million contract after joining the Yankees in August, looked the part of a former All-Star as he started four shutout innings and threw four shutout innings in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Blackburn, 32, has not allowed a run in six innings of spring work.
“We feel like he’s in a really good spot,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We were probably hoping to get two or three innings out of him and he was so efficient that he ended up making four… [He] was excellent, really from the jump. Really bright. Command was excellent. I was very satisfied. I thought his stuff looked really sharp.
“He’s been an All-Star. This guy has been a good starting pitcher. And he’s not old. You see him go out there and watch, he’s out there carving. He’s in complete control of things and handles the ball well. We brought him back for a reason.”
Blackburn gave reasons for optimism last season, but also provided plenty of evidence that a reunion could be a mistake.
Before the Mets released him last year, the right-hander posted a 6.85 ERA in seven appearances (four starts).
Blackburn then took a beating in his Yankees debut — allowing seven runs in mop-up duty — but quickly found his footing in the bullpen, posting a 1.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts in his next 12 innings (seven appearances), which he attributes to lowering his arm slot.
“I felt like I was fighting with myself a lot,” Blackburn said Saturday. “I didn’t feel like I was myself at all. In August I kind of said, ‘Fuck it,’ and went back to the way I was – more exaggerated, more trying to hit the ball downfield. When I got here, I talked to the pitchers and that’s where they want me. When I got here, I talked to the pitchers and that’s where they want me. When I got here, [I was] just getting a little more comfortable in that arm slot that I’ve always been in, just being able to get my pitches back to where they were in previous years, being able to move the ball and get good outings together.
“I’m not going to throw gas at people, so I just have to locate the speed and change it.”
Boone envisions using Blackburn “potentially.” [in] a lot of roles,” with the option to use him as a starter until his rotation is back to full strength.
But Blackburn’s greatest value likely lies in the bullpen, which filled that role in every appearance with the Yankees last year. In his first eight seasons, Blackburn only appeared in relief in four of 86 appearances.
“I think my time here last year definitely really familiarized me with it,” Blackburn said. “You had guys like Luke there [Weaver] – I know he made that transition – and he helped a lot of people by wondering what he was doing. … The more I did it, the more comfortable I felt doing it.”
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