New York Yankees: Playoff Pitching Scenario
The New York Yankees are right on the brink of a playoff push but if the playoffs started tomorrow, what would their pitching staff be?
If the New York Yankees were to start the payoffs tomorrow, it is pretty clear that Luis Severino would be your ace, despite this past Saturday afternoon’s poor performance against Boston.
Sonny Gray would be the number two starter, but with Masahiro Tanaka going on the ten day D.L. this past Saturday and C.C. Sabathia placed on the ten day D.L. on Friday, you have to wonder if
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either one will be able to pitch. Who would be your third and fourth starters come playoff time?
The four immediate options for the two spots are Jordan Montgomery, Jaime Garcia, Bryan Mitchell, and Luis Cessa. Montgomery and Garcia are both lefties, while Mitchell and Cessa are righties.
Out of the four, Garcia is the only one with postseason pitching experience. In seven postseason starts with the St. Louis Cardinals, Garcia is 0-3 with a 3.94 ERA over 29.2 innings.
While some people think that the Yankees added Garcia to show the Athletics that they weren’t that adamant about getting Sonny Gray, this move could prove to be extremely beneficial once the postseason comes around.
Jordan Montgomery has had a nice rookie season so far with an impressive 5.1 innings against Chris Sale and Boston this past Sunday evening.
He is 7-6 with a 3.94 ERA in 22 starts. Although he was sent down when the Yankees acquired Garcia and Gray, injuries have led him back to the rotation. But with this being his first season as a
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major league pitcher, you have to wonder if Montgomery will hit his innings limit before playoff time.
Bryan Mitchell is another interesting name to watch. This season in the majors he is 1-1 with a 3.33 ERA in 15 appearances including one start. In Triple AAA he is 2-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 12 starts. Coming into the 2015-2016 season, Mitchell was expected to be one of the starters in the rotation.
A toe injury in Spring Training derailed the beginning of that season and he was never able to claim one of the five starting spots. Mitchell is an intriguing option for a start against a heavy right handed hitting lineup in the playoffs.
Luis Cessa was considered a candidate for the fifth starter this year but was beaten out by Jordan Montgomery. This season as a starter, Cessa is 0-3 in four starts. In 19 appearances this year he has a 4.83 ERA. Cessa has been better out of the bullpen this season as a long reliever instead of a starter. This season, 12 of his 17 earned runs have come as a starter.
Although he hasn’t put up great numbers, it appears Yankees manager Joe Girardi trusts him more than he trusts Mitchell as a starter. In last night’s start against the New York Mets, Cessa was pulled from the game in the fifth inning and today he was placed on the D.L. with a ribcage injury.
The last option, which is a wild card, is calling up right handed pitcher Chance Adams. This year in AAA, Adams is 9-3 with a 2.31 ERA in 17 appearances. Prior to that Adams was 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA in six starts in AA.
According to Mlb.com, Adams is the 61st best prospect in baseball, the Yankees number three prospect, and their top pitching prospect. Despite all the injuries and uncertainty in the rotation, the Yankees seem to think Adams isn’t quite ready.
We will have to wait and see if the Yankees call up Adams once the rosters expand to 40 in September.
Next: New York Yankees: Three things to look for in Boston
Most people believe it will be Garcia and Montgomery. The Yankees will need five or six strong innings from each starter in order to get to their bullpen which is considered by many to be the best in baseball due to their depth, strong arms and strikeout potential. This is a bullpen built to excel in the playoffs.