Big Production is Coming From Little Guys In New York Yankees Bullpen 2
May 16, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Jonathan Holder (65) pitches in the ninth inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The Yankees won 7-1. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

We know the power pitchers in the bullpen but it is the other pitchers who are making the biggest impact for the New York Yankees recently.

The New York Yankees have quite the power bullpen behind them. They close out games with ease behind the reliable arms of their dominating pitchers.

You know, Aroldis Chapman? Adam Warren? Tyler Clippard? Wrong. The Yankees have been getting production out of some of their other bullpen stars.

While their names might not be as prominent, their pitching has been filthy and a major reason why the Yankees have been able to hold their opponents in the later innings.

We’re not looking at the big guys. We’re looking at Jonathan Holder. We’re praising Chasen Shreve. We’re bowing down to Chad Green. The Yankees are just finishing up the first quarter of their season and they’re getting incredible showings from the guys nobody talks about.

Last night was an exception to the rule, as the over-utilized bullpen finally showed some fatigue. But regardless of the runs allowed, we’ve still seen these guys come up big in the direst of circumstances.

Green has made four appearances since arriving on the Scranton Shuttle and has yet to allow a run. During this four appearances, he had two outings of three or more innings.

One of those multi-inning performances was against the juggernaut Houston Astros. During that appearance, he pitched 3.2 innings of sparkling shutout ball while striking out three and only using 48 pitches.

Holder has been with the Yankees all season and has been nothing short of spectacular. Since the beginning of May, he has made ten appearances from the ‘pen, allowing only one three runs.

Holder even tossed three innings of shutout ball during the Yankees’ marathon against the Chicago Cubs on May 7. The 23-year-old right-hander is sporting a 1.93 ERA this season.

Shreve is another Scranton Shuttle rider who has made a huge impact during this stint. He has made ten appearances in between April and May while not allowing a runner to cross the plate until last night.

Shreve also dominated during the Yankees’ 18-inning victory over the reigning champion Cubs, firing three innings without allowing a run.

They may not be as flashy as Chapman or Clippard, but these guys are getting the job done probably better than the big names on the roster.

Adam Warren was excelling as their middle reliever before he has fallen off, allowing seven earned runs in his last five appearances. Clippard has struggled with his control, barely making it through one inning of work in his appearances. Chapman is injured.

The big names that have been keeping the bullpen afloat are crumbling. They don’t look the same as they did and they sure aren’t as reliable as they were at the beginning of the season.

But that’s the thing about this New York Yankees team. When one struggles on offense or defense, two or three are behind them to pick up the slack. That’s exactly what Green, Shreve and Holder are doing.

And they’re doing a phenomenal job while Warren and Clippard take the time to figure out their own issues.

Right now, the production isn’t coming from the big names that make the headlines all the time. No, it is coming from the guys who have flown under the radar. Now is their time to shine.

Sure, a few bumps in the road are going to happen, just as they did last evening. But these guys are still bringing something great to the table, despite not being the big names.

We don’t need the flashy stuff. We just need someone who will get the job done. That’s what these three are doing in the absence of some of the heavy hitters in the bullpen.



Not only are they helping pitch in, they are excelling for the New York Yankees. These are the guys that are getting the job done right now for the Yankees, even though they’re not as well-known.


Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.