Aging Yankees Reliever Thriving With 'Less Gas'

Sometimes less is more. No one seems to know that better than New York Yankees reliever Tim Hill.

FanGraphs noted Hill, 35, is throwing with less velocity this season, with his sinker averaging 88.2 mph. Four years ago, it was clocked at 91.1 mph, leading the site to conclude "few pitchers cook with less gas."

At the same time, Hill's sinker is getting "sinkier," according to FanGraphs.

The site noted Hill's vertical drop on his sinker was 34.9 inches in 2021. That improved to 38.5 inches in 2022. By 2024, it reached 40.2 inches. This year? 42.0 inches, giving him the second-best vertical drop in the majors. San Francisco Giants submariner Tyler Rogers leads the way with a "ridiculous" drop of 53.1 inches.

As for Hill, he's at a loss to explain the improved drop on his sinker over the last four years. He told FanGraphs it's not by design, noting hHe hasn't changed his grip and his arm angle has moved ever so slightly.

“I think things just change from year to year,” Hill said. “Your body changes as you get older. Another year of throwing baseballs. [Stuff] just changes.”

The left-handed Hill, also a sidearmer, uses his sinker 80% of the time, according to FanGraphs. It helped him record two outs in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

"I would say the sinker has been more depth-y, but the four-seam hasn’t had as much lift," Hill said. "You’ve got to deal with what you’ve got. In a perfect world, I’d still have the lift on the four-seam, but again, everything has shifted down. You’ve got what you’ve got, and you have to make it work.”

Hill joined the Yankees one year ago after being released by the Chicago White Sox. He made 35 appearances for the pinstripes in 2024, putting up a stellar 2.05 ERA.

The eight-year veteran, who debuted with the Kansas City Royals in 2018, re-signed with the Yankees in February. This year, he has been a bullpen mainstay for manager Aaron Boone, posting a 2.45 ERA over 35 appearances this season.

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