New York Yankees: 2019 letter grades for each player
By Manny Gómez
New York Yankees Relief Pitchers
The lasting image Yankees fans will have of Aroldis Chapman (2 fWAR) if he chooses to opt-out of his current deal will be the smile he worse while Jose Altuve hit a walk-off HR to eliminate the Yanks from the postseason.
Don’t be fooled, however, the smile was nothing more than a sign of frustration. In a playoff series where very few went right for New York, it was fitting that this is how the team would be sent home.
Chapman’s tenure in New York can be described as dominant. He has the lowest FIP (2.31) for a relief pitcher since 2017, ranks in the top 10 in K/9 (14.01), and top 5 in HR/9 (0.45). What’s more, he ranks 5th in MLB in saves with 91.
FINAL LETTER GRADE FOR 2019: A
Tommy Kahnle (1.1 fWAR) was included in a trade to the Yankees alongside Todd Frazier and David Robertson back in 2017. At the time, he was seen as a young up and comer and delivered. In 2018, however, Kahnle showed a bit of a drop-off, pitching to a 6.56 ERA.
In 2019, though, Kahnle was perhaps the most effective Yankee relief pitchers not named Chapman. Not only did he accomplish something no other Yankee reliever had done before, in 11 appearances starting on April 10th, Kahnle didn’t allow a hit or a run… “the longest such streak in Yankees history.”
FINAL LETTER GRADE FOR 2019: A