New York Yankees Rotation: Six Pitchers Ready to Make an Impact in 2017
By Wayne Cavadi
Bryan Mitchell, RHP
No surprises here. Mitchell has been up and down, in the rotation and out of the rotation since 2014. He likely would have been the Yankees’ fifth starter last season before he was injured and on the shelf until September.
His five starts weren’t awe inspiring. The six-foot-three, 210-pound righty walked more than he struck out (12 walks to 11 strikeouts) and despite posting a nice 3.24 ERA, his 4.23 FIP suggests he may have gotten a bit lucky.
Mitchell doesn’t have overwhelming stuff. He has a career walk rate of 4.3 per nine in seven career minor league seasons. He needs to learn to harness his command, and improve on the ground ball rate to get out of jams in the launching pad that is Yankee Stadium. That does not mean all is lost.
Mitchell is still 25 years old. He’s probably the least likely of the Yankees’ arms to stick in the rotation, but he could prove to be a solid innings-eater at the back of the rotation. That could be vital to a Yankees bullpen that will probably be heavily taxed come September.