New York Yankees: Clay Holmes should oust Aroldis Chapman as closer

The New York Yankees have an interesting decision coming up at closer with Aroldis Chapman on the 15-day injured list and Clay Holmes making his mark as one of the most untouchable pitchers in the game today. However, with the way Holmes is currently pitching, the decision should also be an easy one.

Why Clay Holmes should be the closer for the New York Yankees, even when Aroldis Chapman returns from the injured list

Chapman was struggling mightily on the mound for the New York Yankees just before he went on the injured list on May 24 with left Achilles tendinitis. The 34-year-old southpaw had allowed at least one run in each of his last five appearances, leading to a 9.53 ERA in 5.2 innings over seven games in the month of May. Compare that to April when he pitched 8.1 scoreless innings over 10 appearances and it’s easy to see that Chapman was struggling before the IL stint.

Part of the struggle comes from Chapman losing velocity on his fastball, dropping from 98.3 last season to 96.8 in 2022, a worrisome sign for a pitcher well known for being one of MLB’s hardest throwers.

Chapman’s struggles have opened the door for Holmes to be the closer in the Bronx, and he has excelled in the task. The 29-year-old right-hander entered Saturday’s action with a 0.36 ERA this season and he has not been scored upon since giving up a run to the Boston Red Sox at Opening Day.

Holmes has walked two and struck out 26 while converting on six of six save opportunities, including going 4-for-4 since May 18. He’s also keeping batters from getting any kind of lift on the ball the season, posting a career-high 81.7 percent ground ball rate (MLB average is 42.8 percent).

Those numbers have former MLB general manager Jim Bowden calling Holmes the second-best closer in the game today.

His 23 appearances lead all MLB pitchers, showing Yankees manager Aaron Boone has plenty of confidence in putting him on the mound. That should absolutely continue when Chapman returns. Upon his activation from the injured list, Boone can use Chapman in a setup role and let Holmes continue to flourish shutting the door on opponents.

If the Yankees are going to ride the hot hand out of the bullpen when the game matters most, that hand belongs to Holmes, not Chapman. Until Chapman shows he can return to form, Holmes should absolutely be the closer for the Yankees.