gerrit cole

The secret ingredient the Yankees used to land Gerrit Cole in free agency

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New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole

While the two bottles of wine the New York Yankees brought to their free agency meeting with Gerrit Cole this offseason played a significant part in luring him to the Bronx, the secret ingredient to pushing the deal over the hump was none other than former pitcher, Andy Pettitte.

The New York Yankees played the talks perfectly:

Pettitte was/is one of Cole’s favorite players from the last generation, and he continues to be an inspiration in his life, which is exactly why the Yankees brought him in to chat with the league’s best pitcher.

The impression Pettitte left on Cole had his head swirling and nearly convinced that the Yankees were the right choice. The bottles of wine, which matched the same bottles he enjoyed during his anniversary in Florence with his wife, helped secure Cole for nine-years, $324 million.

Gerrit made it clear that Pettitte’s influence was a significant reason he guaranteed at least five years on the East Coast.

“When Andy pitches anything, whether it be comes to the Yankees (for a meeting with a free agent) or a game in the postseason, he usually gets the W, and he did again this time,” Cole said.

Pettitte felt great after hearing Cole’s testament:

“It’s crazy for me to realize that I had that kind of impact,” Pettitte told the YES Network on Yankees Hot Stove. “I’m glad that I could help him. I’m glad that I was able to be there and the Yankees wanted me to be there to have kind of a player’s perspective on it.”

“It was a pretty easy sell for me as far as going into the team issues, management, the Steinbrenners, our coaching staff led by Aaron Boone,” Pettitte said. “New York is a great situation right now. It’s a wonderful place to play. So that’s what we’re expecting, that’s for sure.

“He’s a guy that doesn’t look like he’s fazed by October, which is a very important thing, especially playing in New York. And what we’re planning on and wanting to do over the next decade … hopefully he get us a few championships by then.”

What exactly did Pettitte say to Cole?

“If you want to win championships now, I feel like this is the spot for you.”

Cole is focused on bringing home championship rings to the Yankees organization, and the team has taken all precautions to increase their probability of success moving forward. They will also gain back several injured players in Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar.

The 2020 season seems like it’s going to be an exciting one full of success, but it all boils down to health.

New York Yankees betting on young pitching prospect to make the jump in 2020

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New York Yankees, Michael King

With the signing of Gerrit Cole this offseason, the starting pitching rotation now features one of the best pitchers in baseball, and while the front end of the unit is stacked full of talent, the back end is reliable. The return of Jordan Montgomery offers the New York Yankees an optimistic arm as the No. pitcher in the rotation, that’s if J.A. Happ continues to plummet down the rankings.

Beyond Happ and Montgomery, Domingo German will eventually return after serving a 62 game suspension to begin the 2020 season, and he will battle it out for a spot at the bottom of the rotation as well. With the influx of talent in the starting unit, it leaves the bullpen up for interpretation, and it’s where an option like Michael King might work his way in next season.

The departure of both Dellin Betances and Nestor Cortes Jr. leaves a spot open for the taking, and King could fit the bill nicely if he can prove to be a consistent option. Spring training should give us a solid idea of what he’s capable of and if he can be trusted during the regular season.

What should the New York Yankees expect from Michael King?

The 24-year-old righty quickly worked his way through the Yankees’ farm system in 2019, and he likely would have made his first appearance in the Bronx if not for elbow discomfort.

The Yankees shouldn’t expect much out of King in 2020, despite his rise through the ranks. He has an above-average ground-ball rate, which is very prevalent in the Yankees’ pitching corps. Good infield defense is a priority with pitchers boasting high ground-ball numbers.

While King projects as a back-end starter, spending time in the bullpen is a reality, he will likely endure for the next few seasons. However, it will give him the proper development time and experience against big-league hitters. Considering the lack of depth in the bullpen, it’s possible King plays a more prominent part than expected.

Yankees land atop the MLB in predicted wins total for 2020

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The Yankees adding star pitcher Gerrit Cole solidified one of the more intimidating starting rotations in the league, and it also skyrocketed their predicted wins total for the 2020 season.

Last year, the Bombers pieced together a staggering 103 wins campaign on the backs of several reserve players, including Gio Urshela, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and plenty of others. The simple reality is, if the Yanks can remain healthy, they could set a win record next season, especially with the addition of Cole, which is a guaranteed 15 wins, if you consider his last two seasons.

However, Cole isn’t the only stellar pitcher in the rotation, the Yankees also have Luis Severino, who’s ready to go after missing the entire 2019 season virtually with injuries, Masahiro Tanaka, a seasoned veteran, and James Paxton, their lefty specialist. Again, health remains the most significant factor here, but barring any injuries, they’re on pace to have a historic season.

As per Odds Shark, the Bombers are expected to reach 101.5 wins, which tops the MLB by a decent margin, especially after the second-place team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sit at 98.5.

The New York Yankees have all of the tools in place:

Despite losing Dellin Betances to free agency, Aaron Boone’s squad has only improved in stature and overall presence. Sluggers Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Juge, and Gary Sanchez will all return with a clean bill of health, not to mention Luke Voit, who missed the latter portion of the season with a sports hernia.

Firing former strength and conditioning head Matt Kraus in favor of the talented Eric Cressey was the first step in avoiding soft tissue injuries. Cressey’s work with All-Star pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Corey Kluber, and Max Scherzer should go a long way in the Yankees’ player, trusting him to bring the best out of them, physically.

We must not forget about Miguel Andujar either, who will return after tearing his Labrum in 2019. Just two years ago, Andujar logged a .297 batting average with 47 RBIs and 27 homers, and if he can replicate those numbers next season, the Yankees will feature one of the best offenses in recent memory.

Yankee News/Rumors: Spring training, Mini Trash Cans and Aaron Judge 3rd?

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

A Daily look at a summary of News and Rumors of interest for New York Yankees fans!

SPRING TRAINING:  The YES Network has released the Spring Training television schedule for this coming season.  Spring training is just around the corner and fans are looking forward to watching baseball again after a long offseason that saw the New York Yankees acquire former Astro, Gerrit Cole, to lead the starting rotation.

The first spring training game will be on Saturday, February 22, and will be televised from George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.  The first game will feature the Yankees playing against the Toronto Blue Jays.  Altogether the YES Network will televise eleven games during the month-long spring season.  A game on March 3rd against the Boston Red Sox will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.  During spring training, the Yankees will not face the Houston Astros.  Here is a full list of the spring training games.  

MINI ASTRO TRASH CANS:  Amid the Astros sign-stealing scandal, the Yankees are showing that they still have a sense of humor.  The Yankee affiliate Staten Island Yankees will be epically giving out mini Astro trash cans to the first 500 attendees at a game this coming September.  Before the release of Commissioner Manfred’s report documenting the 2017 Astros electronic sign-stealing scheme, the Yankees have long taught that the Astros used various methods to steal signs including whistling and banging of trashcans.  The now-fired Astros manager had been known for laughing at the sign-stealing accusations.  He is no longer laughing!  The Yankees are indeed trolling the Astros with the trashcan promotion.

GOLD GLOVE WINNER JUDGE:  Back in November, Rawlings handed out their Gold Glove awards for each position. In right field, Aaron Judge tied for the award with Jason Heyward and George Springer, but Judge got the nod as he spent more time on the field than the other two.

MLB’s Matt Kelly has unveiled Statcast’s new infield defense metric and has taken a fresh look at the best defenseman at each position.  The new parameter is based on 2019 outs above average (OAA).  Judge, despite his hulking size, was cited as being faster, having excellent instincts and a powerful arm.  Kelly also mentioned that he showed off his all-around skill with a dazzling double play in Game 1 of last fall’s American League Championship Series. But the 2020 projections show Boston’s Mookie Betts grabbing back the title.  Betts had the league-leading 135 runs.

Second is Christian Yelich of the Brewers, who had a .329 average while hitting 44 home runs. Judge in the projections came in third.  The new projected rankings are based on player performance over the last two seasons, numerous offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced data and traditional numbers and analysis by the MLB Network research team.  Using this formula, it appears that Aaron’s time off the field due to injuries in the last two seasons is the leading cause for the projection.

New York Yankees: How Gerrit Cole will help the other starters in the rotation

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New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole

With $324 million comes far more than just an arm containing deadly accuracy. New York Yankees‘ new pitcher Gerrit Cole’s abilities extend far beyond his dominance on the mound — they find themselves entrenched in the film room and in the competitive spirit he brings to work each and every day.

Cole’s mentality is a bit different than the average pitcher, though. His ability to innovate and expand on his already existing talents make him one of the best pitchers in baseball. At the end of the day, his teammates benefit from his progressive mentality and desire to improve.

Just as Justin Verlander and Zach Greinke enjoyed Cole’s creativity and competitive nature, Luis Severino, James Paxton, and Masahiro Tanaka will all benefit from his eye for the greater things. Practicing new pitches, obsessing over spin-rate, innovating with pitching coach, Matt Blake, the internal pressure of being the best will bleed through Cole’s teammates, and that’s a fantastic thing.

The New York Yankees are building a winning culture, not just adding the right pieces:

Culture is just as influential as individual talents since success is brewed off the field. The comradery between teammates and the desire to help one another grow and thrive is what breads a winning atmosphere. It all ultimately translates on the field, which is why we often see teams with ample talent fail. Cole, how recorded career highs in strikeouts (326) and ERA (2.50) in 2019, will bring elite talent to the Yankees’ rotation, where they already had quality players firmly planted.

Owner Hal Steinbrenner mentioned before the start of the offseason that he would be satisfied with the starting rotation if it remained the same going into next season. The return of Severino and Jordan Montgomery offers plenty of optimism, and that’s before Cole was ever in the picture. Adding arguably the best pitcher in baseball will only increase the competitive nature of the professionals already on the roster, which is all we can hope for.

The New York Yankees Have the Key to Take the Astros Down

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New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole

The New York Yankees made their displeasure with the Houston Astros known. During the 2019 ALCS, the Yankees accused the Astros of using whistling to signal to the Astros hitters. And after the commissioners office confirmed that yes, the Yankees were indeed victims of cheating, guys like CC Sabathia were pretty ticked off.

But with the speculation that the Astros upped the anti by affixing their players with buzzers to electronically send them what pitch was coming, this truly has become the biggest scandal to hit baseball since the Chicago Black Sox.

The Newest Yankees Ace Could Put His Old Team to Bed

Some chastise former Astros pitcher, who was a part of that 2017 run, Mike Fiers, for saying anything publicly about what happened in 2017. But, in accordance with his on the record statements, Fiers told his teammates in Detroit, and Oakland, what to expect when they played the Astros before he told the Athletic what happened.

So, could Gerrit Cole follow suit and spill the beans on the Astros?

Apparently He Knows Nothing

Cole, shortly after signing with the New York Yankees, announced that he “didn’t see anything illegal”. But just because he doesn’t go public now, doesn’t mean he won’t tell his team.

In April, 2014, Michael Pineda started against the Boston Red Sox twice. The first time, on April 10th, the Red Sox wanted to check to see if Pineda was using pine tar to doctor the ball, but were too late. But, on April 24th that year, Pineda was spotted that game using pine tar, on the same place he used it during the April 10th game.

Nothing is stopping Gerrit Cole from telling the Yankees what to look out for when the team goes to Houston. That isn’t far removed from the Red Sox pinning Michael Pineda in 2014. Only time will tell.

Just how good are the New York Yankees starting pitchers in the postseason?

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

Having a true No. 1 ace in the starting pitching rotation is already a rare thing in Major League Baseball. Having arguably the best pitcher in baseball and two top-level starters right behind him seems ludicrous, and for the New York Yankees, that’s their reality.

Signing Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million contract solidified the Yankees’ starting rotation beyond Luis Severino and James Paxton.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner stated before the offseason that he would be satisfied with the starting pitching rotation with Jordan Montgomery returning.

“For the most part, I think our starting pitching was good this year,’’ Steinbrenner said. “Even missing [Luis] Severino and [Jordan] Montgomery [for most or all of the season due to injuries].”

“If the 2020 season was to start tomorrow, I would feel considerably more confident than I did a year ago at this time,’’ Steinbrenner said. “We will have both Severino and Montgomery back. We now know that [Domingo] German can pitch effectively at this level. And we know [James] Paxton can be the guy that we were hoping for when we made that trade. We have [Masahiro] Tanaka, [J.A.] Happ, [Jonathan] Loaisiga, and perhaps [Deivi] Garcia at some point. A very good rotation.’’

The New York Yankees now enter the 2020 season with an intimidating group:

  1. Gerrit Cole
  2. Luis Severino
  3. James Paxton
  4. Masahiro Tanaka
  5. Jordan Montgomery
  6. J.A. Happ
  7. Domingo German (after suspension)
  8. Michael King

It’s possible the Yankees trade Happ in the coming weeks, as his $17 million salary will put the Yanks further in luxury tax hell, and considering his awful 2019 season, he’s expendable. The return of Montgomery should provide a reliable replacement for Happ.

However, I’m most excited about the unit’s postseason dominance, as Cole, who dominated during the 2019 playoffs, will now be the Yankees’ premier starter.

Four-man rotation postseason statistics (2019):

Gerrit Cole: 1.47 ERA, 36.2 innings, 21 hits, 4 HRs

Luis Severino: 2.07 ERA, 8.1 innings, 9 hits, 2 HRs

James Paxton: 3.97 ERA, 12.3 innings, 13 hits, 2 HRs

Masahiro Tanaka: 2.12 ERA, 16 innings, 8 hits, 1 HR

Combined, the four pitchers had a 2.40 ERA in 2019, and this was Paxton’s first postseason appearance (he had the highest ERA of the group). With Paxton earning a few playoff innings, he should see an increase in efficiency moving forward (assumption).

Beyond these four options, the Bombers have plenty of support if they need it. German had a great second season, and Montgomery earned a sub-.400 ERA in his first two professional seasons. To summarize, the Yankees have a genuinely unfair starting rotation.

New York Yankees: 3 relief pitchers the Yankees could add to the bullpen

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New York Yankees, Sam Dyson

Before the start of the offseason, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made it apparent that GM Brian Cashman would have the green light to sign star pitcher, Gerrit Cole. Subsequently, the Bombers locked him down on a nine-year, $324 million deal. However, a contract of this substantiating size means that the remainder of free agency will be slow, and it has been beyond the retention of Brett Gardner.

While the Yankees have dabbled in the relief pitcher market, considering trade rumors revolving around Brewers’ Josh Hader, nothing has materialized.

Here are three bullpen options the New York Yankees could look into:

1.) Sam Dyson

Before joining the Minnesota Twins last season, where he featured in 12 games, he put up stellar numbers with the San Francisco Giants, earning a 2.47 ERA over 49 games. The transition to the Twins didn’t go as smoothly, but he can still be a stellar option for the Yanks in the bullpen.

Dyson is an appealing option in high-leverage situations. His high groundball rate and low walk numbers result in elevated double play conversions and low home run totals. His 2.74 FIP represents how well he played for the Giants before being traded to Minnesota. Also, his 1.1 WAR ranks 19th among 165 qualified relievers — factor in his filthy sinker and cutter, and the Yankees might have room for him on the roster.

2.) Brandon Kintzler

Another attractive free-agent target is Kintzlier, who spent all of 2019 with the Chicago Cubs, where he logged a 2.68 ERA over 57 innings. Kintzler has been up and down the past few seasons, but he would come at a cheaper price-tag (maybe in the $8-10 million range).

His HR/9 ratio spiked a bit in 2019, the highest its been since 2016. With the new rule that a pitcher must feature in the entire inning once they’re called in, he could pose a problem if he loses control. However, it’s worth kicking the tired on the 35-year-old, who had a solid campaign last year. He features a fastball and slider, both of which hover in the lower 90’s. The Yanks prefer strong-armed pitchers, but Kintzler has reliable control, making up for the dip in velocity.

3.) Yoshihisa Hirano

At 35-years-old, Hirano isn’t the spring chicken he once was, but he’s put together some successful outings over the last two seasons. Having spent only two seasons in the MLB, his sample size is quite small, but in 2018, he was dominant.

Hirano logged a 2.44 ERA and 3.69 FIP in his lone quality seasons. However, he would be extremely cheap and could be used for his split-finger fastball, which sees an 8PMH drop off from his fastball (91.2 –> 83.9). His 10.39 K/9 ratio was impressive last season, which means he racks up the strikeouts. If the Yankees aren’t trying to break the bank, he’s an option worth looking into.

Do the New York Yankees have three aces in the starting pitching rotation?

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

Before the offseason officially began for the New York Yankees, owner Hal Steinbrenner was happy with his starting pitching rotation, especially with the return of Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery in 2020.

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner stated:

“If the 2020 season was to start tomorrow, I would feel considerably more confident than I did a year ago at this time,’’ Steinbrenner said. “We will have both Severino and Montgomery back. We now know that [Domingo] German can pitch effectively at this level. And we know [James] Paxton can be the guy that we were hoping for when we made that trade. We have [Masahiro] Tanaka, [J.A.] Happ, [Jonathan] Loaisiga, and perhaps [Deivi] Garcia at some point. A very good rotation.’’

Fast forward several weeks, and the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million, shattering the record for starting pitchers, hauling in $36 million per season. Cole will undoubtedly be the Yankees’ top option moving forward, but that shouldn’t discount the remaining two options that have ace-level potential.

Let’s start with Luis Severino, who missed virtually all of 2019 with injuries, making his comeback for the playoffs and the final three games of the regular season. However, in 2018, Severino put together an All-Star performance, boasting a 19-8 performance with a 3.39 ERA. The second half of 2018 went poorly for Severino, who ended up having a higher ERA in 2018 than 2017 when he finished at 2.98.

That’s two consecutive seasons that he had a sub-3.40-ERA, though, making him an incredible bounce-back player for the year ahead. Slotting him in behind Cole will give the Yankees the 1-2 punch they need to dominate important series, especially in the playoffs.

While Severino is set to have a significant impact, James Paxton can’t be forgotten. Paxton had a stellar second-half of 2019:

HALF IP K/9 BB/9 ERA GB/FB Ratio Soft Hit %
First 76.1 11.20 3.54 4.01 1.03 14.3%
Second 74.1 11.02 3.03 3.63 0.79 20.3%

Across the season, Paxton posted an ERA/FIP of 3.82 & 3.86, across 150.2 IP. Big Maple’s 3.82 ERA last season was his highest since 2015, which is quite impressive considering his injury history and streak of sub-4.00 seasons. If he can pitch an entire season’s worth of innings and remain consistent during 2020, the Yankees will have an intimidating top three starters.

Factor in Masahiro Tanaka, the postseason menace, and Montgomery’s return, and new pitching coach Matt Blake might be in for an excites season.

 

 

The New York Yankees’ Forgotten Third Ace: James Paxton

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New York Yankees, James Paxton

When do we think about the New York Yankees‘ rotation what comes to mind first? We might think about the new shiny addition Gerrit Cole. Perhaps it was the young stud Luis Severino who flashes in your head. You could also be thinking of playoff hero Masahiro Tanaka, the longest-tenured Yankee in the rotation. These are all great choices, however, don’t forget about the third ace in that rotation, James Paxton.

Top Tier Lefty

James Paxton is one of the better lefties in all of baseball, with a career 3.50 ERA in 733 MLB innings. He had a pretty good year in his Yankee debut season, posting a 3.5 fWAR and 3.82 ERA in 29 starts. With a K/9 of 11.11, he racked up 186 punch-outs in 150.2 innings. He had been the Yankees ace down the stretch, but with Severino back and Cole added, he seems to have been forgotten. Paxton’s a phenomenal strikeout pitcher, and if he pitches 170-180 innings is going at the top of strikeout leaderboards and for sure get Cy Young votes.

Big Maple Loves the Big Apple

If there’s anything Paxton loved, it was the big games. In 2019 he flourished at Yankee Stadium, with a 3.35 ERA and a 7-3 record with a 1.167 WHIP. One of Paxton’s biggest critics, when the Yankees acquired him, was “How will he do in October?” And even though he had two rough starts, the highlight of his October was Game 5 against Houston at the Bronx. He dueled Justin Verlander and is the only Yankee to ever defeat Verlander in a postseason pitching duel. He finished October with a 3.50 ERA, and he’s clearly shown he can pitch on the big games.

Ace Talent

James Paxton was the Mariners ace in 2017 and 2018, and he was a pretty dominant ace. To view Paxton as anything less than an ace is pretty disrespectful to the lefty, and while he won’t be the Yankees #1 starter, he’s still someone with that talent. With a curveball that hitters can only muster a .178 average against and a fastball averaging 95.4 MPH, he’s clearly a very special arm. Whether it’s his talent or his big-game performances don’t forget about the power pitching lefty, because he’s going to come back better than ever, book it.

Projections

15-7
3.50 ERA
1.21 WHIP
160 Innings Pitched
200 Strikeouts
11.3 K/9
4.1 fWAR

Am I being too optimistic of the Big Maple? How do you think Paxton will do?