Starting Pitching Concerns
As currently aligned, the New York Yankees’ 2017 starting rotation will go as follows:
- Masahiro Tanaka (14-4, 3.07 ERA)
- CC Sabathia (9-12, 3.91 ERA)
- Michael Pineda (6-12, 4.82 ERA)
- Luis Severino (3-8, 5.83 ERA)
- Chad Green (2-4, 4.73 ERA)
The one certainty is Tanaka, who pitched to a stellar 3.07 ERA in 199.2 innings last year. However, people seem to forget that his ulnar collateral ligment is not fully intact. With that said, anything is possible.
Beyond the 28-year-old ace, there lies nothing but question marks.
CC Sabathia, who, granted, had a remarkable bounce-back year in 2016, is not getting any younger. Michael Pineda has proven time and time again that he is the biggest mystery in baseball. Luis Severino, who harnesses the most potential out of the five, pitched to an 8.50 ERA in 11 starts last year. At the number five slot, the Yanks have no idea what to feasibly expect from Chad Green at the big league level.
This is not to point the finger at Brian Cashman, who had little to work with when assessing a brutally weak free agent class. What this does point the finger at, though, it last year’s win total.
One cannot reasonably envision that number climbing without a hint of help in arguably the most important area of the ballclub.
