People are starting to say that Colon could be the real deal.

The Yankees liked what they saw when Tony Pena coached Bartolo Colon in winter ball and for good reason. Apparently he is hitting 94 mph on the gun and looks similar to the polished pitcher he once was.

Today was the first day  throwing against live batters and he looked good. His fastball seemed to have a little extra juice on it even though he was taken deep by Russell Martin. When he missed, he missed low in the zone. Colon will be starting the first spring training game against the Phillies because Girardi believes that he is closer to being ready due to the extra work over the winter.

I personally like his style pitching a bit better than Freddie Garcia’s at this point. Garcia’s fastball tops out around 89 which doesnt give you a lot of room for error. At 94 its a bit more forgiving. So Saturday  we will get to take a first look at Colon and see if he could be a real contender to fill out the Yankees Rotation. If the Hype is true I have to admit I am not as big of a critic of the move as I was a week or so ago. Make sure you follow us on Twitter at Yankees Magazine and on Facebook at Yankees Online Magazine.