New York Yankees: Five Encouraging Signs for the Future
By Sean Dyer
Full Seasons of David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle in the Bronx
The New York Yankees’ big advantage all postseason was their loaded bullpen. Well, now they’ll have that deep relief corps all season long.
The Yankees had a great bullpen to start 2017 but it really got deadly when they acquired David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox around the trade deadline.
They were two of New York’s biggest weapons in the playoffs and can now be utilized all year long.
After coming over to the Yanks, Robertson was downright nasty. He threw 35 innings with a 1.03 ERA and 0.74 WHIP. He struck out 51 batters compared to just 12 walks and 14 hits.
Having a full season of Robertson, who has a career 2.83 ERA, will be extremely valuable. Perhaps the best part about D-Rob is that he is willing to pitch in any inning. He’s a former closer but has no problem pitching in the sixth or seventh inning.
After Kahnle came to New York, he continued his dominance and elite strikeout ability. He pitched 26.2 innings for the Yankees with an ERA of 2.70 and a 1.31 WHIP. Kahnle struck out 36 batters and surrendered just ten walks and 25 hits.
In the postseason, Kahnle pitched 11.1 innings in his seven appearances. He had an ERA of 2.38 and a WHIP of just 0.71. Kahnle struck out ten, walked just two, and picked up a save.
Having Robertson and Kahnle in the bullpen along with Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Chad Green, and Adam Warren for a full season will be tough to beat.
Knowing that any lead will be safe next year thanks to the best bullpen in baseball is encouraging for the future of the New York Yankees.