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What went wrong for Adam Ottavino in 2020?

By Adam Taylor McKillop

Adam Ottavino #0 of the New York Yankees reacts after giving up six runs, including a grand slam to Danny Jansen #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays, during the sixth inning at Sahlen Field on September 07, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. The Blue Jays are the home team and are playing their home games in Buffalo due to the Canadian government’s policy on coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Adam Ottavino #0 of the New York Yankees reacts after giving up six runs, including a grand slam to Danny Jansen #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays, during the sixth inning at Sahlen Field on September 07, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. The Blue Jays are the home team and are playing their home games in Buffalo due to the Canadian government’s policy on coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /
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New York Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino recently discussed his struggles last season.

Heading into last year, the New York Yankees were considered one of the heavy favorites to win the 2020 World Series. Yet, in what’s become a concerning trend, the Yankees fell short once again. The eventual AL Pennant winners, the Tampa Bay Rays, knocked New York out of contention in a thrilling five-game ALDS series.

So what exactly went wrong? Yes, the injury bug struck New York hard again. But the problems ran deeper. New York finished as the fifth seed in the American League after a disappointing 33-27 campaign. As a result, they were forced to play a best-of-three Wild Card series. Not exactly fitting given the championship expectations.

One of the most glaring issues come playoffs time was the Yankees bullpen. Entering the season, this was regarded as one of the team’s biggest strengths. Tommy Kahnle missed the season after Tommy John surgery. While Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, and Chad Greene were their usual selves, the rest of the bullpen was a question mark.

Perhaps the biggest missing piece was Adam Ottavino. The 35-year-old saw action in 24 games, but after pitching to a 5.89 ERA last season, Yankees management decided against using him in any high-leverage playoff moments.

In a perfect world, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had his bullpen working on a strict schedule. If the high-powered Yankees offense took a lead after five innings, it was pretty much game over. Greene in the sixth inning. Ottavino or Kahnle in the seventh. Britton in the eighth, and finally Chapman to close things out in the ninth.

But, with no Kahnle and after losing all trust in Ottavino, this formula no longer worked. And, unfortunately for Yankees fans, the role players of the bullpen including Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, and Jonathan Holder are simply not enough to fill this gaping hole.

Recently, Ottavino discussed his 2020 struggles on MLB Network Radio. The 35-year-old reliever did not hit the panic button. Rather, his mindset is to treat this offseason like all others. To make adjustments based on what worked and didn’t work last season. And to fully prepare these adjustments entering next year.

Ottavino is a career 3.53 ERA pitcher. In 2018 with the Colorado Rockies, he pitched to a 2.43 mark. His first year in pinstripes, in 2019, was even better. In 2019, Ottavino owned a stifling 1.90 ERA, striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings.

Diving deeper into his 2019 numbers adds some concern. Despite the 1.90 ERA, Ottavino posted a near career-high WHIP of 1.312 while walking 5.4 batters per nine innings. His inability to keep runners off base played an integral part in his 2020 ballooning ERA.

Certainly, the numbers are not trending in the right direction for this reliever. It’s easy to downplay his 2020 struggles, however, if Ottavino doesn’t return close to normal form, the Yankees bullpen will be in desperate need of filling an enormous hole.

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