New York Yankees Rotation: Six Pitchers Ready to Make an Impact in 2017
By Wayne Cavadi
Chance Adams, RHP
Adams has gained a lot of steam the past offseason. He was sensational out of the bullpen in his 2015 debut after the Yankees selected him in the fifth round out of Dallas Baptist. He was even better in the rotation, split between Tampa and Trenton last season.
The simple truth is that despite Adams appearing as if he is being fast-tracked to the bigs, the 22-year-old will have to wait. The Yankees simply don’t rush pitching. Whether it is in the “Joba rules” or simply biding their time, it would be uncharacteristic for Adams to break spring training in the starting rotation.
Severino was the first Yankees pitcher rushed to the bigs in a while, and they paid the price in his second go-around. The young fireballer struggled with secondary pitches and getting movement on his fastball, clearly showing he needed more time to mature. The Yankees won’t make the same mistake with Adams, especially after his 2016.
The six-foot, 210-pound righty was phenomenal across two levels. He combined to go 13-1 with a 2.33 ERA, striking out 144 and walking 39 over 127.1 innings. Throw in a microscopic 0.90 WHIP and a .169 batting average against, and there’s a lot to like.
Per John Sickels at Minor League Ball, Adams’ arsenal is equally exciting:
“…nasty fastball in mid/upper-90s, also a plus slider, has made progress with softer curveball and change-up; command has been solid thus far.”
He doesn’t have the frame typical of your starting pitcher, but he showed that it didn’t affect him last season. He has plenty of experience in the bullpen from his days in college. The Yankees will likely exhibit patience and make sure his 2016 breakout was for real. Should he continue to dominate as a starter, expect an arrival late in 2017.