New York Yankees: Chance Adams a viable option for rotation spot

Although he has spent less than two years as a starting pitcher, Chance Adams is on the doorstep of becoming the New York Yankees next young star. After a strong 2017, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in the Bronx by next season.

Several of the New York Yankees pitchers have gone through the farm system into the bigs and found success. From Ivan Nova, who has become a semi-sensation in Pittsburgh, to Luis Severino, arguably the Yankees’ ace pitcher in 2017, the team has produced some invaluable arms that contributed to previous playoff runs.

Chance Adams could be next on the list, despite his short tenure as a starting pitcher.

General manager Brian Cashman was tested time and again by the team’s injuries, but he never caved in. Despite numerous opportunities to bring up the young arm, he deferred every time. It didn’t matter, as he dealt for starting pitchers to fill the vacancies, even though fans were subject to a few atrocious Luis Cessa starts.

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The decision could be much easier in 2018. New York could sign someone – CC Sabathia, anyone? – to a short-term deal to fill the spot in the rotation. Clearly, even with the abundance of premier arms on the market, the Yankees don’t need another ace. They need someone to hold down a back-end rotation spot throughout the regular season.

Adams, though inexperienced, could be Cashman’s first option. And though the 23-year-old is new to the role, he looks prodigious.

Possibly the most promising stat from last season is that he never allowed more than five earned runs in a start. He produced 13 quality starts – out of 26 overall – only because his endurance disallowed him from going deep into games.

While he possesses more auspicious qualities than not, he does have to improve in some areas. His command can be shoddy at times, as he averaged more than three walks per nine innings while pitching in both Double-A and Triple-A last year.

Scouts praise Adams’ repertoire of pitches as elite, even though he has yet to test them out in a major league game. Based on MLB.com‘s prospect report, his fastball sits in the mid-90s, and he owns two wipeout pitches – a hard, sharp slider and a confounding changeup. Even though his curveball is his worst pitch of the four, it is still better than most prospects’ hangers.

If Adams finds his way into the rotation, New York would possess one of the youngest rotations in the American League. None of the starting five would be older than 29 years old if that is the case.

Youth doesn’t always mean a bad thing. Jordan Montgomery and Luis Severino were each thrown into the fire quite early but panned out well. Now both will likely occupy a spot in the rotation in 2018.

Here is the current crew of pitchers Adams would likely join in the rotation with their 2017 stats (with the Yankees):

Luis Severino: 193 1/3 innings, 2.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 230 Ks, 51 BBs, 21 HRs

Masahiro Tanaka: 178 1/3 innings, 4.74 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 194 Ks, 41 BBs, 35 HRs

Sonny Gray: 65 1/3 innings, 3.72 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 59 Ks, 27 BBs, 11 HRs

Jordan Montgomery: 155 1/3 innings, 3.88 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 144 Ks, 51 BBs, 21 HRs

Unlike all of the current pitchers, Adams can limit the long ball. Across 150 1/3 innings in 2017, he limited opposing hitters to just 11 home runs. Granted, he wasn’t playing in a hitter-friendly environment like Yankee Stadium most evenings. The New York park ranked second in home runs last season behind Citizens Bank Park.

There are several pitching options available for the front office, with several veterans on the market. Even Adam Warren and Chad Green can make spot starts if necessary out of the bullpen if injuries occur – news flash, they will.

Next: The Yankees' short-term pitching options for 2018

But by the summer of 2018, Adams should be starring in the team’s rotation. By then, he could be even more of a force than he already is on the bump.

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