New York Yankees Rotation: Six Pitchers Ready to Make an Impact in 2017
By Wayne Cavadi
The Sleepers
Brady Lail, RHP
The 2012 18th-rounder is heading to spring training. Lail was pretty impressive as he climbed up the minor league ladder, but he struggled as he reached the higher levels. He hasn’t posted a strikeout per nine higher than 5.65 since reaching Double-A. This hurts a bit when his walks per nine come in right around three.
Lail is primarily a finesse pitcher, with a fastball that usually hits the upper 80s more often than low 90s. He has good command of his curve, cutter and change up. Lail is better suited as a bullpen swingman, able to make a spot start when needed. Now 23 years old, you can expect his big league debut at some point in 2017.
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Nestor Cortes, LHP
The 22-year-old, 2013 36th-round draft pick rose from obscurity for a breakout 2016. He climbed all four levels of the minor league ladder, making at least one appearance in Charleston, Tampa, Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Cortes was absolutely absurd in the South Atlantic League, racking up a 6-2 record behind a 0.79 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 68.1 innings. He doesn’t blow you away with his stuff, but he seems to know how to get the job done. Said Charleston skipper Luis Dorante before the SAL Playoffs:
“Cortes was really, really good,” Dorante said. “He’s a kid that just throws strikes. He doesn’t overpower guys, just goes out there and gives me everything to get people out and that’s his mentality. He told me that, ‘I go out there and just try to get them out, doesn’t matter if it’s a strikeout, ground ball or pop out or what’. A mentality like that — you don’t find them. Sometimes these guys that throw hard they want to strikeout everybody, and that’s not the case with him. He is amazing with all of his pitches and then the command of them.”
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Cortes is a strike-thrower. He isn’t afraid to come after a batter in the zone, and he seems to win more often than not. That kind of moxie is invaluable and could earn Cortes a shot later in 2017.