I spoke with Yankees pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras earlier today about a variety of topics. Part one of that interview, with highlights about Pat Venditte, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and the Arizona Fall League, is here. Enjoy.

JN:Do you have any idea which guys in the system are going to be in the Arizona Fall League?

NC: We’ve got a group of about eight guys, and that call will come from Mr. Mark Newman. I gave him eight names. I’m sure Pat Roessler’s given him some names. And if Mark Newman’s seen these guys, I’m sure he’s got his own names. Then I think from there we will have four, three relievers and a starter. I’m sure it will come down to innings, who’s healthy and who’s not.

JN: When you send people down there, is it just to work on things, like a particular pitch or what have you?

NC: Some need innings. They need that because they couldn’t get enough innings. Usually that’s what it is. We’ll take the guys that we’re working with sometimes to instructional league. We might take somebody that needs the work to get that in an area, and then send them to Arizona after that as that name, hoping that the work we do in the instructional league prior to going to Arizona will get them on the right foot and then let them compete out there.

JN: Would guys down there like Banuelos and Betances, who haven’t had that many innings this year, qualify?

NC: Betances will end up with more than 100 innings, and he didn’t have many last year. He’s only going about 80 pitches, so he’ll pitch five innings, four innings, six innings, and he’s hitting his start every fifth day. He won’t be part of that Arizona thing, because he’s made that jump from the very few innings of last year to (what he’s thrown now). He’s been pretty good.

JN: And Banuelos?

NC: Banuelos will probably come to instructional leagues. I’m not sure if he’s allowed to go to the AFL, because he probably is owned by a team in Mexico for the winter. … If he’s able to, it’d be great, because he started late because of (the appendectomy).

JN: Pat Venditte, do you expect him to come up here toward the end, or is he in Tampa for the long haul?

NC: It’s all about movement (through the system). You’ve got Kontos and Whelan here who could be pitching in Triple-A. Schmitty could to Triple-A. It’s all about movement. Who’s going to go to the big leagues? Do we lose guys in trades? If there’s openings, then there’s movement. If there’s no openings, there’s no movement. Tampa’s in first place. (Trenton’s) in first place. Triple-A is in first place. Where we can move guys from is Charleston, who’s not in first place. In September, I would think Nova’s going to the big leagues. I would think Albaladejo’s going to the big leagues. When that happens, there’s two openings. I would say if there’s movement from here (to Scranton) and then from Tampa to here and then from Charleston to Tampa.