New York Yankees: Options for the Back-End of the Rotation
By Jason Reed
Chad Green
As of now, Chad Green is currently listed as the fifth arm in the Yankees rotation on their official site. Green may be the smart option heading into spring, but anything can change in the following months. Green was drafted in the 11th round in 2013 by the Detroit Tigers, where he played until this last year. He didn’t see MLB time with the Tigers in his three seasons, as he didn’t make his MLB debut until last season with the Yankees.
In the minors Green crafted a pretty good resume. From 2013-105 Green posted a 3.54, 3.11, and 3.93 ERA, respectively. While the numbers themselves weren’t great, he posted a fairly high k/9 (7.1, 8.6, 8.3) en route to becoming a Yankee. Green then thrived in AAA with the Yankees. In 16 games started in 2016 Green held an outstanding 1.52 ERA over 94.2 innings pitched. Green’s strike out rate rose to 9.5 k/9 while his h/9 fell to a respected 6.5.
While Green may not have done great in his eight starts at the major league level, his minor league progression should prove him to be the Yankees first option heading into opening day. At only 25 years old Green will definitely improve in the coming years, however he does have some competition for that major league spot.