Nobody could have thought it in the beginning of the year, but Ivan Nova is really making a name for himself in his rookie campaign and after winning 11 straight decisions he is forcing his way into the Rookie of the Year debate with a 15-4 record and a 3.89 ERA in 23 starts this season.
Last night’s start against the Blue Jays shows just how far he’s come in one short season as he ran into trouble early, but showed great poise as he settled down and blanked the Jays for six more innings. He also effectively used his slider, a new pitch that he started using with great effect since his midseason call-up.
He has some competition in the ROY race from fellow pitchers Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays, Michael Pineda of the Mariners, as well as from sluggers Eric Hosmer of the Royals and Mark Trumbo of the Angels. Nova’s stats are nearly as good as any of those players plus he has become an integral part of the Yankees playoff run with many fans now considering him ...
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