Lucas Luetge

New York Yankees Analysis: “The Big Three,” Cole, Kluber, and Taillon

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By now, all New York Yankee fans know that the Yankees have completely revamped the starting rotation. For those more casual fans who don’t know, the Yankees let the bulk of the pitchers walk into free agency and made no known offers to retain any of them at the end of the season. Masahiro Tanaka is now pitching in Korea, James Paxton is back with the Seattle Mariners, and J.A. Happ is with the Minnesota Twins.

During the 2019/20 offseason, the New York Yankees went to California and lured arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Gerrit Cole, to become a Yankee. This offseason, they contracted two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and traded with the Indians for Jameson Taillon, another top of the heap starter. (Taillon is pronounced TIEown)

Just like the “core 4” was really the core 5 with Bernie Williams, the “Big Three” may also be a misnomer because, in addition to the three, the Yankees also have holdovers Jordan Montgomery, Domingo German, and eventually Luis Severino. Before we get too cheery about this rotation, there is a bugaboo involved, that being Kluber and Taillon’s health. They both have had health issues in the past two years. Kluber was hit by a pitch in 2019 and only pitched one inning last year, suffering a should issue. Taillon is coming back from his second Tommy John surgery.

So far, the health issues seem to be in the past, and both of these guys seem entirely healthy in spring training; hopefully, the fact that they haven’t pitched in the past two years won’t be an issue, and they will return to their previous form. If that is the case, the Yankees could have one of the most feared starting rotations in baseball.

With the season’s Opening Day just a few days away, two of the best performing pitchers are not in the “Big Three.” German leads the entire pack, pitching 9 innings without allowing a run while striking out 13 opponents. Montgomery has the second-lowest ERA, a tiny 0.90. As of today, the Yankee pitching rotation has the 4th lowest ERA in all of baseball.

It’s important to realize that these are spring training numbers and may not translate to the regular season. Pitchers often try out new pitches and make adjustments that can affect their stats in spring training. Many pitchers such as Gerrit Cole have always pitched better during the regular season than the spring stats. Spring training is just a snippet of what might happen in the regular season. Wins and losses mean nothing.

Domingo German:

Domingo German, who did not pitch at all last year due to suspension, has by far been the New York Yankees’ best pitcher in spring training. He looks good, looks confident, and is healthy. In three starts and 9 innings pitched, he has a zero ERA. He has allowed 5 hits while being a strikeout machine, striking out 13. He has had excellent control walking only one across the span. These numbers are also too good to be believed and probably won’t continue, but if his spring performance is any indication, he could very well be the season’s best pitcher. In 2019 he was 18-4 and could have had a 20 game season had it not be cut short.

Jordan Montgomery:

At one point, many in the know thought that Jordan Montgomery could be the next great Yankees pitcher, which has never come to fruition, mostly because of his Tommy John surgery which greatly held him back. Now two years removed from the surgery, “Monty” is this spring’s second-best performing pitcher.  His ERA is 0.90 in three games for a total of 10 innings. He has allowed only 4 hits. He needs to tune up his command; he has allowed walks to 3 batters. This could be Montgomery’s break-out year.

Jameson Taillon:

Taillon holds down the number 3 spot for spring training performance and a solid one at that. Since his second Tommy John surgery, Taillon has made adjustments to his delivery to ease up arm strain. So far during the spring, he has looked great. Very strong and very confident. His ERA is a tiny 1.08. He has pitched 8.1 innings allowing 9 hits, but at the same time striking out more batters than any Yankee pitcher (14) other than Gerrit Cole. Taillon will probably be the number three starter for the Yankees. How he ends up is anyone’s guess. The trio of German, Montgomery, and Taillon has not allowed a home run this spring.

Corey Kluber:

Kluber will be the number two starter by most reports. He also has the second worse ERA of any of the starters, sitting at 1.86. Please make no mistake, we use the word worse very loosely, and an ERA of 1.86 at the end of the season would make what the Yankees paid for him worth at least twice that amount. Over 9.2 innings, he has allowed 9 hits, 2 earned runs while striking out 9. What is most important with Kluber is that he feels great and is healthy. If he stays that way, he could have a Cy Young season.

Gerrit Cole:

Gerrit Cole could be best described as a work in progress. Cole is known for trying out new things and refining others in spring training. He has had his last start of the spring and is easily the New York Yankee’s worst-performing starter. But that being said, if he continued at his present rate, the Yankees would be tickled with a 2.45 ERA over the season.

His biggest problem in the spring has been giving up the long ball (3) only second to Deivi Garcia demoted to the minors. The big difference between the two is that Cole has the most strikeouts of any starter (24). However, it concerns that those home runs dog him. Surely something he will look to fix in the regular season. With Cole’s 3.19 career ERA, the Yankees are certainly not worried about how Cole will perform in the regular season.

Although this article is about the Yankees starters, it would not be fair not to mention the big three Yankee reliever standouts. Jonathan Loaisiga has been a huge bright spot for the Yankees during the spring. He has pitched in six games with the most innings of any reliever and has an ERA of 1.36. He has allowed only 6 hits across 13.1 innings while striking out 10 and walking only 2. If any Yankee starter becomes injured, the Yankees will surely consider Loaisiga as a replacement.

Lucas Luetge was picked up over the offseason. He has been terrific for the Yankees. He has struck out more hitters than any reliever (18). His ERA is 1.74, and if it weren’t for one game, he would not have any ERA, but in one outing, he gave up two home runs. Nick Nelson is another standout this spring. Nelson has an ERA of 1.04, has not given up a home run, and has struck out 9 batters.

The Yankees going into the regular season have never looked so good since they acquired CC Sabathia. That was 2009 the last time the Yankees won a World Series. One huge thing missing from this article is that no starter or reliever mentioned has an ERA over 2.45. This is enormous for the New York Yankees; if they can maintain this and stay healthy, the Yankees have a great chance to be on their way to a 28th World Championship.

 

Yankees: Two lowkey players who have made a significant impact this spring

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New York Yankees, Jay Bruce

The New York Yankees have had a successful spring, despite falling to the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 on Saturday evening. Their offense has gone quiet the past few games, but their pitching remains a strength. Against Baltimore, Michael King last 4.0 innings, recording six strikeouts and giving up one run. He currently has a 3.46 ERA this spring, but with a majority of the backups featuring against the Orioles, they only managed to record three hits and one run.

With player cuts already underway, the Yankees elected to part ways with first baseman Mike Ford, which could indicate a low-key player making the roster and potentially having an impact on the 2021 season.

Here are two New York Yankees who can make the active roster:

Lucas Luetge:

Lucas Luetge has been phenomenal this spring, pitching 6.1 innings and earning a 0.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts and just for hits allowed. At 34 years old, Lucas hasn’t played in the MLB since 2015 with the Seattle Mariners. Having bounced around the minor-league system, he’s experiencing a rejuvenation, and the Yankees could benefit tremendously, especially with star relief arm Zack Britton for the next few weeks.

Jay Bruce:

One of the reasons the Yankees likely reassigned Ford is due to the emergence of Jay Bruce. The former first-round pick back in 2005 is known for his slugging ability, having hit double-digit homers in 11 of 13 total seasons. Last year with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bruce had six HRs and 14 RBIs in 32 games. While 2020 was a down campaign, he most recently hit double digits in 2019 with 26.

Bruce has had some health complications in the past but has proven he can be a consistent threat, hitting .261 this spring, including two home runs and three RBIs. If he continues to show adequacy at the plate, he could be a first-choice reserve option in the outfield, and the Yankees always prefer sluggers over contacted hitters.

New York Yankees: Big battles and big decisions for the Yankees

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Tomorrow is the first day of spring, and for the New York Yankees, spring training games are waning; there are only eleven games left to play before players and staff head north to Yankee Stadium. The players may be itching to get the regular season going but some are itching more than others. Why? Because some will be cut as the Yankees face crunch time to firm up the 26 man roster. There are still battles for those last spots.

This may be the last games of spring training, but it’s also a time that both the players and the front office is busy as can be. Housing to be arranged and cars to be shipped for the big move north. But for manager Aaron Boone, coaches, and the front office, they still have some big decisions to be made, and they won’t be able to wait until the last moment.

The New York Yankees know pretty much what the opening day lineup will be. They know who their starting pitcher will be, and they know who all the position players will be. But the question of who will fill the fifth spot in the starting rotation is still unanswered. Who will be added to the bullpen is yet to be determined and who will sit beside Brett Gardner and Kyle Higashioka as reserves on the bench are still unknown.

The battle to anchor the pitching rotation:

RHP Domingo Germán (0.00 ERA 9 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 13 K)
RHP Deivi García (2.25 ERA in 8 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 10 K)
RHP Michael King (4.00 ERA in 9 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 6 K)
RHP Jhoulys Chacín (5.40 ERA in 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 7 K)

All of these starting pitchers want that last spot in the starting rotation. New York Yankee manager Aaron Boone has said that he will carry 13 pitchers and 13 players at the start of the season. That means with the first four starters pretty well nailed down, one of the above will be the fifth starter. This decision may be the easiest for the Yankee brasse to make because, at this point, it seems to be a no-brainer. Domingo German is the clear leader in this category. It is very likely the Deivi Garcia will start his season in May at Scranton Wilkes/Barre. That being said, it is also as likely that all of these pitchers will spend some time at Yankee Stadium during the season.

The battle to gain a home in the bullpen:

LHP Lucas Luetge (spring stats: 0.00 ERA in 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 13 K)
RHP Nick Nelson (0.00 ERA in 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K)
RHP Kyle Barraclough (1.80 ERA in 5 IP, 2 H, 7 BB, 7 K)
RHP Nick Goody (1.93 ERA in 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K)
LHP Tyler Lyons (2.08 ERA in 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K)

These are the relievers that have a chance to be added to a bullpen that will include: Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, Justin Wilson, and Darren O’Day. This will be a much more difficult decision to be made by management. All five of these relievers are good in their own way. Actually, I should change the word good for excellent. It seems obvious, with an ERA of zero and 13 strikeouts per nine, that the Yankees will select Lucas Luetge. Beyond that It’s anyone’s guess. At this point, to me, it seems to be very close between Tyler Lyons and Nick Nelson.

Like the starters, Matt Blake and manager Boone will have to watch the innings pitched this season as the staff adjusts to a 162 game season after a short 60 season this past year. All of these pitchers will be used during the season, and some of the relievers like Jonathan Loaisiga, Deivi Garcia, and Clarke Schmidt will be used in various roles. There is still an outside chance that Jonathan Loaisiga could snag that fifth starter spot due to his excellent spring.

The battle to sit on the bench:

This is probably the biggest battle yet to be resolved. Who will sit on the bench? There is no question that Brett Gardner will be the backup outfielder who can play at all outfield positions and Kyle Higashioka, who will be the backup catcher for Gary Sanchez.

Chris Gittens (3 for 8, .375, 1HR, 5 RBIs) first base

Jay Bruce (6 for 23, .261, 2HR, 3 RBIs) first base & outfield

Mike Tauchman (5 for 21, .238, 2HR, 3 RBIs) outfield

Mike Ford (3 for 19, .158, 0HR, 2 RBIs)  first base

Derek Dietrich (2 for 18, .111, 1HR, 3 RBIs) utility

Thairo Estrada (3 for 18, .167, 1RBI) second base

Tyler Wade (3 for 21 .143, 2DBL, 1 RBI) utility

The New York Yankees would like to keep all these players around, but to fill out the 26 man roster, they will only be able to keep two to add to the bench. Mike Tauchman may not be the best player on this list, but he is one of the most versatile, and considering he is out of minor-league options, the Yankees will likely want to keep him around or trade him in the coming days.  With Chris Gittens playing like he is, my guess is Mike Ford will start in the minors again, and Gittens will be Luke Voit’s backup. If Tauchman is traded, Jay Bruce will be the next man up.

The Yankees may have been weeding out these players by creative moves. The Yankees have shown they can have Brett Gardner play in right field. This may not spell well for Tauchman and Bruce. LeMahieu can play all three bases. Gio Urshela had a successful try-out at short, lessening the need for Tyler Wade. At this point, Dietrich and Ford look like they will be on the outside looking in. Sometime within the next six or seven exhibition games, this will likely be all sorted out and the Yankees will announce their 26 man roster for opening day at Yankee Stadium.

Yesterday was the last day off for the Yankees in this spring training. Today the Yankees will host the Philadelphia Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Ex-Yankee Ivan Nova will start for the Phillies. At the time of this writing, the Yankees have not announced their starter for the 6:35 pm non-televised game.

 

 

Did the Yankees stumble upon an unknown bullpen gem?

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The New York Yankees have been pleasantly surprised by their pitching this spring; especially they’re starting rotation we’re just taking form weeks before the start of the regular season.

Despite a few injuries, specifically to Clarke Schmidt and Zack Britton, the Yankees seem to be in stellar shape as Opening Day nears. They will eventually gain both back and Luis Severino during the summer. The team earned a well-deserved break on Thursday, winning eight consecutive games leading up to a Friday contest against the Philadelphia Phillies. They recently overcame Philadelphia 4-2, with Domingo German posting six strikeouts and allowing zero runs over four innings.

However, while the big guys normally gain all the attention and media headlines, one low-key bullpen arm has looked phenomenal this spring. While he only has a small 6.1 inning sample size under his belt, he’s struck out 13 batters and allowed just four hits, not giving up a run. Of course, this player is Lucas Luetge, and surprisingly, he hasn’t featured in the MLB since 2015 with the Seattle Mariners.

The last time Luetge enjoyed more than 30 innings in a given season was in 2013 with Seattle, when he hosted a 4.86 ERA and a dismal 6.57 strikeouts per nine. For whatever reason, the 34-year-old relief arm has laid on the heat in his six appearances.

With Britton requiring surgery to remove a chipped bone in his elbow, it is possible the Yankees elevate Luetge to the active roster in the next few weeks, allowing him to transfer some of his spring production over to the regular season. This will be the first time in five years he’s pitched at the MLB level, and what a story would be.

On Wednesday afternoon, though, Lucas took an additional step forward, being called upon to shut down the Phillies in their final at-bats. He struck out two batters, bringing his spring total to 15 and sample size to  7.1 scoreless innings.

The Yankees might have found a gem in this unknown pitcher, and hopefully, he can make an impact when the games really matter.

New York Yankees: Lucas Luetge turning heads in spring training

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During the offseason, the New York Yankees made an interesting addition to the Yankees. The 33-year-old Lucas Luetge, a pitcher that hasn’t been in the major leagues since 2015. Although the Yankees signed him to a minor league contract, he knew he has little chance to make the 40 man Yankee roster or even earn any regular-season innings for the team.

However, through five spring appearances with the Yankees, Lucas Luetge is on pace to turn some heads. One must remember it’s easy to be overly optimistic when looking at a small sample. But at the same time, it’s hard to overlook striking out 11 of 18 batters faced. That can’t just be a coincidence; it’s got to be a sign of true talent.  Across five full innings, Luetge has yet to allow a single run while permitting just a single base on balls to go along with two singles. He has struck out the likes of Bryce Harper, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andrew McCutchen, and Didi Gregorius.

New York Yankees assistant GM Mike Fishman pursued Lucas Luetge each of the past two years and signed him to a minor league deal this offseason; he said, “A lot of people are talking about him [in camp]. He is opening eyes with how he is performing — and the quality of the stuff, too. He has swing-and-miss pitches.” Luetge has been trying to get from the minors to the majors for the last six years. He did it for just one game back in 2015. He pitched 2 1/2 innings of shutout ball. But his return to the majors has been elusive.

One of the problems holding Luetge back has been his inability to get righties out. However, now late in his career, he is doing just that. 8 of his 13 strikeouts have been against right-hand hitters. Manager Aaron Boone has been gushing over Luetge. When talking about the Luetge slider, he had this to say:

Boone about Luetge’s slider to Sports Illustrated’s Max Goodman, saying “It’s a really good breaking ball, it’s a swing-and-miss breaking ball. He’s got all the spin numbers that take you back a little bit. Even though he’s not overpowering with the fastball, the fastball really plays as well.”

As CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa reports, Boone’s claims ring true through the spring training pitch data. Luetge has radically boosted the spin rate on each of his three offerings to well past the MLB average, especially his slider, giving them a late-life that has left anyone lucky enough to watch him toss in person awestruck.

The New York Yankees added another left-hander in veteran Justin Wilson; they just lost one as well, with Zack Britton going under elbow injury. His three-to-four-month recovery time from that surgery leaves an opening for either Wison or Luetge, a place setting up for Aroldis Chapman. In that effort, it’s hard to ignore Luetge’s 18.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Now that Britton is out, after Aroldis Chapman and Wilson, the only other lefty currently projected to make the Yankee bullpen (per FanGraphs Depth Charts) is fellow 33-year-old non-roster invitee Tyler Lyons. Though he’s spent time on a major league roster every season since 2013, Lyons has always had a high ERA over the period. Lyons has been okay in this spring training with an ERA of 2.45 but not close to Luetge’s performance. Luetge is almost certainly in if Lyons is out, should the Yankees choose to add another lefty to the bullpen. With Luetge’s performance so far this spring training, the Yankees will have the obvious choice of adding him to the Yankee’s bullpen.

New York Yankees: Montgomery gets the job done in Yankee’s eighth win in row

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The New York Yankees traveled to Dunedin, Florida today to face the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Jordan Montgomery faced Thomas Hatch. The game time at 1:07 pm was not televised. The Yankees won their eighth game in a row behind Mongomery and Jhoulys Chacin’s excellent pitching. The Yankees shut out the Jays 1-0.

Montgomery had a hitless first inning. He pitched the first five innings of the game, the first Yankee pitcher to pitch five innings in a row. Over those five innings, he allowed only 1 walk, no hits, and no runs. Entering the game, he had an ERA of 1.80. With his performance today, he brought his ERA down to 0.90. He looked sharp in all five innings. Montgomery is not a strikeout pitcher, but in this game, he struck out 4 Jays. Montgomery got fly out after ground out after line out.

Jhoulys Chacin followed Montgomery and went 2.2 innings while striking out 3 Toronto Blue Jays. Lucas Luetge came in and finched off the Toronto Blue Jays in his 1.1 innings. For the eighth game in a row, it was all about the New York Yankees pitching as the Yankee lineup had a tough time hitting off the Blue Jays pitchers. They could only muster up one run today, and that was when Judge walked; Hicks then reached on a fielding error. Gleyber Torres then grounded out, Stanton struck ground out, scoring Judge from second. Jay Bruce struck out, ending the scoring in the game.

The Yankees bats were pretty quiet in the game, but Giancarlo had another good game. He singled twice and walked once as he continued his hot start in this spring training. Gary Sanchez struck out twice and flew out twice in the game. But he again showed off his rocket of an arm, throwing out Lopez when he tried to steal second base. DJ LeMahieu, who had no hits in 4 plate appearances, stole a base and had the only error for the New York Yankees; he played third base today. He scored the error on an errant throw to first base.

The final score reflecting the shutout was the Yankees 1 and the Jays 0. The winning pitcher was Jordan Montgomery, the loser Milone, with Lucas Luetge getting the save.

 

 

New York Yankees: Awesome pitching leads Yankees to seven wins in a row

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New York Yankees, Jonathan Loaisiga

For the New York Yankees, pitching is the word, and the word is that it is “awesome.” The Yankees, who had a rough start to spring training, have now won seven games in a row, and it’s mostly due to excellent pitching. The Yankees have 12 pitchers with an ERA of .000. The Yankee pitching in spring training so far looks better than it has in years, mostly due to the pitching staff’s immense depth. That staff is a mix of veterans and young arms showing off before Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.

At the head of that pack is Domingo German, who has pitched a full 9 innings across 3 games. He hasn’t allowed a run while allowing only 1 walk and striking out 13 opponents per 9 innings. It’s early, and it’s only spring training, but this is a sign of a 20 game-winner. German in 2019 before his suspension had an 18-4 record. Another standout is Jonathan Loaisiga, who has had an excellent command of his arsenal. Loaisiga has pitched 8.1 innings so far, not allowing a run, walking two, allowing only 2 hits, and is striking out 8 per nine innings.

There is no question that Domingo German is the Yankee pitching star in this spring training. German was suspended at the end of the 2019 season and all of 2020. The Yankees had no idea what to expect after not pitching for so long. But the Yankees have been more than happy with what they have seen so far in their starting pitcher that was 18-4 in 2019 before his suspension. He has pitched more innings than any Yankee pitcher, and with 9 innings under his belt, he has yet to allow a run in 3 games. He is also striking out 14 batters per nine innings pitched. He is one of the pitchers in contention for the fifth spot in the rotation. At the moment, he looks to have a lock on the number four or five spot.

Jonathan Loaisiga:

Jonathan Loaisiga is an exciting pitcher. We don’t know if he is a starter or a reliever. He has performed in both roles. So far, his control is excellent. In six innings pitched, he has allowed no runs and has a tiny WHIP of .033. It is doubtful that the Yankees will add him to the starting rotation, but they will seriously look at him if there are any injuries.

Nick Nelson:

Nick Nelson may be the surprise of spring training. Nelson is a reliever that is looking to make the team in the bullpen. Right now, he is one of the best relievers in spring training. He has relieved in 6.1 innings and has not allowed a run. He has also struck out one player per inning. Whatever he is doing, he needs to continue to do it. The Yankees noticed his potential late in the last season.

Jameson Taillon:

Jameson Taillon came to the New York Yankees via a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is coming back from his second Tommy John surgery. The Yankees took quite a risk acquiring a pitcher that hasn’t pitched in nearly two years. They hoped for the best while hoping he could at least replace Masahiro Tanaka, who is now pitching in the Japanese leagues.  So far this spring training, he has not disappointed. He has an ERA of .000 with no runs allowed in 5.2 innings. What is really encouraging to the Yankees is that he looks even better than his stats and is totally healthy.

Aroldis Chapman, Luis Gil, Yoendrys Gomez, Trevor Lane, Glenn Otto, Addison Russ, and Adam Warren all have 0.00 ERA’s. One pitcher really stands out, and he is Lucas Luetge. He has relieved for 5 innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and 19.8 strikeouts per 9 innings. He is a legitimate strikeout machine. Jordan Montgomery is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.80. Deivi Garcia is 0-1 with an ERA of 2.25.

The only concerns for pitching coach Matt Blake are the two pitchers we expect to be at the top of the pack but aren’t. Yankee ace Gerrit Cole has struggled and has the highest ERA of any potential starter in the rotation at 4.70. Corey Kluber has an ERA of 3.00. Of the starters, he has pitched the fewest innings, only six. He has given up 4 hits and one home run with only 7.5 strikeouts per 9.

Kluber looks good but has yet to find the command that the 2 time Cy Young Award winner is known for. The “Kluber slider” is looking good, and Kluber is sure to come around. He is healthy; that is the good news. Cole showed us last year that he is dominating when pitching to Kyle Higashioka. So far in spring training, he has pitched to a different catcher in each of his three games. His best performance has been with Higashioka. Both Cole and Kluber are intense pros and bulldogs; they will sort it out hopefully before opening day.

Here is how the starting rotation looks as of today.

  1. Gerrit Cole – ERA 4.70 SO9 – 12.9 – WHIP – 1.43
  2. Corey Kluber – ERA 3.00 SO9 – 7.5 – WHIP – .0667
  3. Jameson Taillon – ERA 0.00 SO9  – 14.3 – WHIP – 1.412
  4. Jordan Montgomery – ERA 1.80 – SO9 – 5.4 – WHIP – 1.200
  5. Domingo German – ERA .0.00 – SO9 –  13   – WHIP – .0667

Any baseball team would be proud and excited to have a starting rotation with these stats. Personally, if Domingo German continues with an ERA of zero through the rest of spring training, I would put away Gerrit Cole’s pride and start German on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, but that’s just me. I am sure the New York Yankees will do what they feel best. The bottom line is that if the Yankee lineup can stay healthy and the Yankees pitch as they have during the last week, the New York Yankees will be the team to be contended with and will have their best chance at a 28th World Championship.

The next New York Yankee game is today at the home of the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida, at TD Ballpark. Jordan Montgomery will face Thomas Hatch. The game time is 1:07 pm and will not be televised.

New York Yankees: What’s Lucas Luetge’s secret?

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The New York Yankees lost, in the past few weeks, several top relievers. Tommy Kahnle signed elsewhere, Adam Ottavino was traded, Jonathan Holder was non-tendered, and Zack Britton, who remains with the organization unlike the others, suffered an elbow injury and will miss the next couple of months.

The Yankees did bring Darren O’Day and Justin Wilson in the free agency period, but they will need more help besides the usually formidable Aroldis Chapman and Chad Green pair. Thankfully, guys like Nick Nelson and Jonathan Loaisiga have looked good this spring so far, but there has been one happy surprise among the top performers.

Lucas Luetge, a soon-to-be 34-year-old veteran who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2015, is currently leading the Yankees in strikeouts with 11. In just five innings of work, Luetge has allowed no runs, two hits and one walk. He looks legit.

Could Luetge be the next great Yankees’ reliever?

But how has he achieved so much success during Grapefruit League play? Of course, the sample size is small and the New York Yankees know that. But there is one reason that leads us to believe his performance is sustainable: spin rate.

Recently, Mike Axisa posted an article detailing Luetge’s spin rate increase in all of his pitches. For those who don’t know, the more spin rate a pitch has, the more it will move and, therefore, it will miss more bats.

Perhaps the Yankees’ Gas Station worked wonders for this veteran. The spin rate of his fastball is now 2,770 rpm, and it was 2,578 back in 2015 (the league average is 2,306.) For his curveball, the rate is 2,866 (it was 2,329 six years ago when he last played in the bigs, and the league average is 2,532.)

He is spinning his slider at 2,801 rpm, whereas it was 1,975 in 2015. The league average is 2,441.

“My spring has gone better than I expected,” Luetge said to MLB,com. “You always want to come in starting off good. I didn’t know it’d be this good with the strikeouts, but I just want to keep it rolling. I’ve been able to throw all my pitches for a strike, and my ball is moving a lot right now.”

At this point, it is difficult to see the Yankees leaving him out of the Opening Day roster.

New York Yankees: Lucas Luetge’s big chance, Tauchman out of options, and more

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

New York Yankees assistant GM Mike Fishman pursued Lucas Luetge each of the past two years and signed him to a minor league deal this offseason, he said, “A lot of people are talking about him [in camp]. He is opening eyes with how he is performing — and the quality of the stuff, too. He has swing-and-miss pitches.” Luetge has been trying to get from the minors to the majors for the last six years. He did it for just one game back in 2015. He pitched 2 1/2 innings of shutout ball. But his return to the majors has been elusive.

For the Yankees, Luetge has faced 11 hitters in three spring games and struck out eight. On Sunday against Philadelphia, he wiped out the 1-2-3 of the order — Andrew McCutchen, Didi Gregorius, and Bryce Harper. The Yankees are impressed, but will he make the 26 man roster? After June 1st, he can get out of the Yankee deal.

He started his pitching career with the Seattle Mariners and was with them for four years, but he was given assignment after his major league start. Since then, he has been in the minors for the Brewers, Angels, Reds, Orioles, Diamondbacks, Athletics, and now at age 34, later this month, he may have his best chance of a Major League spot. However, he will have to fight for that chance with other lefties.

What lies ahead for Mike Tauchman?

This spring is either do or die for Mike Tauchman; if he doesn’t make the 26 man roster out of spring camp, he is a goner; no options remain. Or he could be traded before the deadline. The 30 year-old outfielder, who broke out in the second half of 2019 but struggled in 2020, is on the 26-man roster bubble and has no minor league options remaining. The problem for the New York Yankees is that Jay Bruce, Derek Dierich and Tauchman are all competing for the same last bench spot.

Right now Jay Bruce seems to have the edge in making the 26 man roster. He has two home runs and is batting .455. Tauchman is doing himself no favors, he is batting just .167 after a poor season last year. The present bench in the 26 man roster includes a guaranteed set for Kyle HIgashioka, Brett Gardner, Miguel Andujar, and that one vacant seat. It is assumed that Mike Ford and Tyler Wade will start in the minors. Bruce could drop out of the equation if he opts out of his contract on March 25th. If the Yankees are not going to keep T-Man in the majors they will have to trade him before the season starts or the will get nothing for him and he will be gone forever.

Domingo German pitches tonight

The New York Yankees will face the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at the Yankee home. The Yankees have announced that Domingo German will be starting the game, with a lineup headed by DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Brett Gardner leading off in the first inning. German will be facing the Pirates pitcher Tyler Anderson.

In his outing last week, German was near perfect, pitching two innings while allowing only 1 single and no walks. He struck out 4 hitters; that’s 18 per nine innings.Tonight he will likely be extended to three innings of work. The game tonight is at 6:35 pm and will be televised on the YES Network.

 

 

New York Yankees News/Rumors: Sweepstakes for LeMahieu heat up, Yankees sign another pitcher and more

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

New York Mets in the DJ LeMahieu picture

The New York Yankees may have a battle with the crosstown New York Mets for the services of DJ LeMahieu. Many teams are interested in the best MLB player for the last two years. The team most often mentioned in the LeMahieu sweepstakes is the Toronto Blue Jays, although many other teams are interested as well. Now it is known that the New York Mets have contacted the Wasserman Group, DJ’s agent.

Jon Heyman, an insider at the MLB Network, reported that the New York Mets had entered the battle for the second baseman this year’s batting title winner. This news further muddies up the picture as to whether the Yankees can re-sign the star.

Reports indicate that the Yankees and LeMahieu are far apart in getting a deal to have him return to the Bronx. Reports say that the sides are at least $25 million apart on a deal. The Yankees would like a three year deal for $75 million but probably would advance to four years and $100 million if it would get a deal done. The catch is the LeMahieu is now asked for $125 million across a five-year contract. General manager Brian Cashman said on Sunday:

“Hopefully, we can have that type of experience where it doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as it has an ultimate outcome that’s successful,” Cashman said. “But there’s no guarantee that it will.”

New York Yankees sign no-name pitcher

The New York Yankees appear to be digging deep for pitching help, as they have just signed a pitcher that hasn’t played in the Major Leagues for the last five years. The Yankees have reportedly signed Lucas Luetge. The signing is not even noteworthy other than to let you know that the Yankees are scouring the market for pitching help.

Luetge last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2015 for the Seattle Mariners. Since then, he has been in the minors with the Oakland  A’s, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks, but failed to crack the big league roster with any of those organizations.  The 33-year-old had Tommy John surgery midway through the 2017 season and didn’t pitch during 2018. According to reports upon his return, he tore up the minors in 2019, but unfortunately for Luetge, the 2020 minor league season was canceled.

In 2020 he was on the taxi squad for the Oakland A’s but never made the 40 man roster. It would have been more than nice to see what he could have done last year, but in 2019 he posted for Triple-A Reno a lefty record of 9-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts in 55 games (68 innings). The New York Yankees have signed him to a minor league contract. The Yankees will be watching him closely in spring training.

The Yankees help the Bronx neighborhood.

In their tradition of giving back to the Yankee Stadium neighborhood, the New York Yankees continue to do so during the pandemic. It was recently announced that they had contributed $50K to a fund to help businesses around Yankee Stadium that suffered a business loss due to no fans at the Stadium.  Businesses around the stadium reap huge rewards from fans attending games, but with no games last season, many are struggling to stay alive, including the 93-year-old Yankee tavern.

The Yankees have committed to 10 grants of $5k each to help out those struggling businesses. It is not the first offer of help as they contributed earlier with $75k to help restaurants and souvenir shops. In the spirit of Christmas, the Yankees have also purchased 68k pounds of food to help feed the needy in the Yankee Stadium neighborhood. That is along with $200,000 in food vouchers for Bronx families.

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