New York Yankees: Determining the starting rotation for 2020
The New York Yankees may be the World Series favorites, but their rotation is still somewhat unsettled.
The New York Yankees had a big hole on their roster. They won the division despite a ton of injuries and then rolled right past the Minnesota Twins. But then they fell to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series because the Houston rotation was better than New York’s.
It is just that simple. And the Astros had Gerrit Cole on their side, but now he is on the Yankees side and that is a big reason why New York are the favorites in the American League.
But what about the rest of the rotation. Let’s predict what the rotation will look like on Opening Day.
5. player. 43. . . . J.A. Happ
J.A. Happ has been in a lot of discussions this offseason, and the Yankees reportedly are still trying to trade Happ. He isn’t a free agent until after the 2021 season, but I don’t see a deal getting done because the Yanks might be asking for too much.
The 37-year-old didn’t have the best season in 2019, as he almost had a 5 ERA in 30 starts. But the 30 starts stat jumps out at me because it means Happ is someone that is a very valuable fifth starter in the rotation that will give you innings every fifth day he takes the mound.
He usually has an ERA in the 3’s with at least 30 starts in four of the last five seasons.
4. player. 43. . . . Luis Severino
When Luis Severino is the fourth starter, then you should feel pretty dang good about your chances to go win a World Series for the first time since 2009.
Severino was once the New York Yankees ace (just two years ago), so he is still a very good pitcher. The 25-year-old dealt with an injury nearly the entire regular season last year, but he returned in the postseason and started in some pretty big games.
In over 8 innings he gave up just two earned runs on a pair of solo homers in the ALCS against the Houston Astros. Over his career, he has been able to keep his ERA under 4 in nearly 100 appearances and 530 innings.
He was also an American League All-Star in the 2017 and 2018 seasons while getting top 10 finishes in the Cy Young vote in both of those years.
43. . . . James Paxton. 3. player
James Paxton should have another good season in 2020 considering he is going to be at the top of the free-agent class next offseason.
Paxton, 31, pitched in over 150 innings last season and made 29 starts (a career-high mark). I think it was very encouraging for him to pitch great to end 2019 in the postseason because it will give him some added confidence going into Spring Training.
In his final two starts in the postseason (ALCS vs Houston), he allowed just two earned runs and struck out 12 batters while going six innings in his Game 5 start at home in front of the Yankee Stadium crowd.
. Masahiro Tanaka. 2. player. 43. .
Masahiro Tanaka is one of the more underrated starters in the game and he will certainly be even more underrated after the Gerrit Cole signing.
He has made around 30 starts in every season since 2016, with an ERA under 4 in half of those seasons.
In 2019 he made the most starts in his career (32), while increasing his innings total in 2019 by almost 30 compared to 2018.
In the postseason, the two time All-Star surrendered four earned runs in three starts (all three were at least five innings) in addition to striking out 12 batters.
1. player. 43. . . . Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Cole was GM Brian Cashman’s big white shark this offseason. He flew across the country twice in a week to go see him before he went to San Diego for the Winter Meetings.
Then on the second night of the meetings, Cole signed for $324 million over nine years–a day after Stephen Strasburg helped his cause by inking a $245 million deal to stay with the Washington Nationals.
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At his press conference, he brought back the sign he made when he was a kid when he attended the 2001 World Series in Arizona–and that was just a little token that showed how much he wanted to be a Yankee.
Ever since Cole signed with the New York Yankees, they have been the outright World Series favorites and deservedly so.
This team arguably has the best in rotation in the game and could make an argument for having the deepest lineup as well.
Next. Predicting the Yankees fifth starter. dark
But it will all start with Gerrit Cole when he takes the mound for the New York Yankees on Opening Day when they play the Baltimore Orioles.