It's no small feat. Consider the last 10 AL ROYs, a star-studded list of power lunchers and product influencers: Gunner Henderson, Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Kyle Lewis, Yordan Alvarez, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Michael Fulmer, Carlos Correa and Jose Abreu. Yikes. That's a future Fox Sports in-game panel.
Trouble is, aside from Gil (rhymes with meal) only one of the above - Fulmer - happens to pitch. (Ohtani thinks about it.) And Fulmer has had noticeably less success than the others. In fact, he crapped out in year two, struggled for several seasons in Detroit and is now bullpen fodder for the Cubs.
For rookie pitchers, the concern is always the volume of innings piled onto their shoulders, wings and ribs. Gil threw 150 this year, well above expectations. Can he repeat it? Guy's already had TJ surgery once. Let's just say... dunno.
Here are the ages our starters will be next year.
Gerrit Cole, 34
Marcus Stroman, 34
Carlos Rodon, 32
Luis Gil, 27
Nester Cortez, 30
Clarke Schmidt, 29
Cody Poteet, 30
Will Warren, 26
Clayton Beeter, 26
Nobody knows what to expect from Cole. I gotta believe The Pointer will be determined to make the world forget his recent Game 5 Inning 5 debacle, of which he played a starring role. Sadly, it stands as his spotlight October moment. It was interesting last month when he flirted with becoming a free agent, and then abruptly changed his mind - I think - because the Yankees had no interest in adding another year to his contract. He needs a comeback year. He needs a world series.
But it's hard to assess this staff. Truth be told, aside from Seattle, nobody, nowhere, has too much pitching. The Yankees also look meager in the bullpen, where we must buy into the notion that Luke Weaver is for real and can last a season as closer. He pitched wonderfully in our darkening final month, but how far can we expect that run to continue?
This team sure could use a free agent, somebody who can throw 150 innings and win 15 games. But for now, that's another world. Everyone is thinking of Juan Soto. Let's just hope the reigning AL Rookie of the Year has a career more like the hitting stars rather than the few pitchers who are so honored. The Yankee staff looks precariously old.
Get rid of Stroman and Rodent and things look a lot better, all the way around.
ReplyDeleteJust saying.
And typing
DeleteGreat to hear. MEANWHILE—in regard to Aaron Boone's role in the Yanks' pro forma "effort" to sign Soto: you gotta feel sorry for the guy. Of course he has to say that, well, he's planning to give it the old "organic" approach because there is no other real plan behind it. As usual, he's the one being hung out to dry by those twin geniuses, Hal & Pal. He's going to have to go into this "meeting" and fumfah around for half-an-hour, while they keep an iron grasp on the Yanks' checkbook. It's a farce, and all the more pathetic that they make their manager go along with this.
ReplyDeleteNothing would shock them more than if they make their final offer, carefully calculated to be $50 million below what the Dodgers and Mets are offering, and Soto said, "Great, I love the Bronx. I'll take it!" Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Hoss, Sir.......To my seasoned gray matter it would seem to be a no-brainer (No No Not Boone - the other, colloquial kind) to have someone like Judge in the room with Boone and Hal and Pal to try to sell the deal. That and a dancing lady inside a hard plastic rectangular million dollar bill costume holding up an iPad playing highlights of Soto's year in the Bronx.
DeleteGM...thought you all might need a good laugh today...
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/_24kin/status/1858575768957166053
Gary come home. Yikes.
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