New York Yankees: Breaking down every pitcher’s best pitch
By Kyle Cardoza
Chance Adams
Adams was considered by many to be a savior in the Yankees rotation prior to last year. But he failed to make a strong impression, ultimately garnering just three appearances at the MLB level.
The former top prospect – now mid-tier in the organization – struggled in Triple-A, posting a bloated 4.78 ERA. His inconsistency arguably stemmed from an offseason surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. At least, that made a major difference for each pitch’s effectiveness.
Prior to 2018, the right-hander possessed a wipeout slider and an above-average curveball to complement his buzzing fastball. Now, the 24-year-old is somewhat back to the drawing board, refining his repertoire while throwing slower.
Adams’s velocity dipped toward the second half of the season, and it showed in his stats. Nevertheless, he still has an arsenal to work with. And while his trusty fastball helped him thrive in the minors, his off-speed weapons will be crucial this upcoming year.
It begins and ends with his slider, arguably his best pitch.
It’s difficult to analyze the young hurler, at least from an MLB standpoint. Adams pitched less than eight innings in the big league, and his best stuff wasn’t on display.
However, scouts frequently dubbed his hard-breaking slider as his go-to pitch. Even now, with the drop in velocity, he possesses a worthy slider.
Analysts remain wary of small sample sizes, but just one MLB player registered a hit against Adams’s slider, per FanGraphs. It was a home run, which puts his control into question. It was still effective overall, though.
Maybe the Yankees fans will see him rebound in 2019 and showcase a nastier, more elusive payoff pitch.
Domingo German
Most Yankees fans will remember German’s spot start from last year against the Indians. The 26-year-old tossed six no-hit innings before getting yanked by manager Aaron Boone.
After that start, German was unimpressive throughout the rest of the season. Thus, most fans may only remember that small highlight amongst his mediocre rookie campaign.
Nonetheless, German still has a chance to play a role this year, primarily as a reliever. But which pitch will he typically rely on to succeed?
The question might boil down to whether German works his way into a starting role or remains in the pen. As a reliever most of the season, the right-hander trusted his curveball more than anything else.
Thus, it is likely he sticks to that strategy, considering opponents hit a measly .181 against it in 2018. Of course, the right-hander has only pitched 100 innings in the big leagues, so this is a relatively small sample size.
Still, German remains a solid option for the upcoming season, and his off-speed pitches provides the Yankees with optimism. The Dominican whiffed 60 hitters using his hanger, which was nearly 60 percent of his strikeouts from 2018.
German still sits in the mid-90s in terms of velocity, which keeps hitters honest at the dish. And if he can continue flummoxing hitters with his curveball, he might secure a larger role in the pen.
Yet, that depends if the New York pitcher can keep earned runs to a minimum, since he boasted a brutal 5.57 ERA last year.