Third Starter In Yankees’ Postseason Rotation Remains Undecided

Yankees’ Third Starting Pitcher for Postseason Still Up in the Air

Pitcher’s Duel

As for who will pitch after Fried and Rodon, that question remains a mystery. The Yankees have a very solid rotation from top to bottom, with Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren rounding out the back end. However, despite a promising rookie season from Warren, who has a 4.35 ERA and will end up with 33 starts, the competition for the final rotation spot for the playoffs comes down to Gil and Schlittler.

Gil, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, injured his shoulder in February and was sidelined until August 3. In his 10 starts since, he has been relatively solid: he’s posted a 3.29 ERA, tossing 52 innings and surrendering just three home runs. Schlittler, on the other hand, made his first MLB start in July at 24 years old and has looked the part of a legit big league starter ever since. In his 13 starts, he has a 3.27 ERA, 75 strikeouts over 66 innings, and a fastball that routinely touches 100 mph.

The Case For Each

Clearly, this decision won’t be an easy one for the Yankees to make; they have similar strengths and similar weaknesses, which only makes it harder to decide. Both are young, fairly inexperienced, and have a tendency to totally lose control out of the blue. But, each of them also has great stuff and the numbers to back it up.

For Gil, his case stands on the fact that he has 35 more MLB starts than Schlittler, including two in last year’s postseason. He also, oddly enough, limits the long ball despite owning a concerningly low groundball rate of 30.5%. However, he walks a ton of batters; he already has 31 walks in just 52 innings this season, and his total of 77 last year led the majors. This trait of his could end up costing the Yankees crucial games a few weeks down the line.

Schlittler, despite his limited MLB experience, looks like the better candidate, at least on paper. To start, he’s never given up more than 4 earned runs in a start, having only given up that number two times (both in September). He also gets more grounders, strikeouts, and weaker contact than Gil does. However, he also surrenders his fair share of walks, handing out 30 free passes over his 66 innings, but not to the extent that Gil does.

The Last Word

It’s truly tough to predict what the Yankees are going to do; will they hand the ball to the rookie who has come blazing out of the gates? Or will they trust the more experienced (and perhaps more erratic) sophomore who has already made multiple starts for them in the playoffs? Manager Aaron Boone said, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, this concerning his pitchers: “I feel good about our five guys– I feel good about any one of them starting a game. As we get closer and as this week unfolds, we’ll start to have a better idea and feel for how we want to set things up.”

Only time will tell who the best option will be, and it could even be subject to change depending on the results. But if the Yankees are able to secure a lockdown rotation for the postseason, they are going to be one tough team to beat.