YANKEE NOTES

TAMPA – Felix Rodriguez showed off the kind of power arm the Yankees lust for yesterday.

Before you start getting excited, remember Jay Witasick possessed that kind of power arm also. And Rodriguez was only throwing batting practice.

However, there was no doubt the right-handed reliever was impressive yesterday on the main mound at Legends Field.

“He was throwing pellets,” said Jorge Posada, who faced Rodriguez in the same group as Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi. “Everything was hard.”

Jeter struggled to get out of the cage and Rodriguez broke Sheffield’s bat. Giambi fared the best, roping liners to right-center.

“They lied,” Rodriguez said when told of the hitters being impressed with his velocity and split-fingered fastball.

With Tom Gordon set to work the eighth inning this season, Mike Stanton on hand to face left-handed hitters, Tanyon Sturtze the long man and spot starter, roles will be defined in the bullpen for Paul Quantrill, Steve Karsay and Rodriguez.

And there are questions for the trio. Quantrill is coming back from a knee injury that didn’t require surgery but clearly bothered him a year ago. Karsay has pitched seven games in two years, all of them last September. Rodriguez must prove he can handle New York pressure.

“We had a chance to get him from the Giants last summer, but he went to Philadelphia,” GM Brian Cashman said of Rodriguez, who was acquired for Kenny Lofton this winter. “He has a power arm and we think the key to success is power arms in the pen along with great starting pitching.”

Rodriguez, 33, has pitched for the Dodgers, Reds, Diamondbacks, Giants and Phillies. Although he has proven he isn’t a closer, converting just 11 of 36 chances, Rodriguez is a workhorse, appearing in 371 games the past five years (74 per season). From 2000 to 2003 he was 29-11 for the Giants. Last season, he was a combined 5-8.

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When camp opened, Joe Torre said he would carry 12 pitchers and nothing has changed. The determining factor will be Karsay’s health. So far he hasn’t had a problem with his right shoulder.

“I don’t hear anything and that’s good news,” Cashman said. “He is 100 percent without restrictions.”

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Felix Escalona still isn’t in camp and the Yankees don’t know when they will see the infielder, who is having visa problems in Venezuela.

“It doesn’t look like he’s going to get much playing time here,” Torre said. “Evidently, he didn’t pick up his visa until [Wednesday].”