Yankees Rotation is Thriving, Even Without Gerrit Cole

The Yankees have been without their ace Gerrit Cole since March, but that hasn’t stopped their pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation, from being one of the league’s best. In fact, it’s reasonable to say that pitching has been the primary factor behind the Yankees’ early success. As of May 12, the Yanks boast an ERA of 3.10, good for second in MLB behind the Boston Red Sox. Their starting rotation, which became a source of worry after Cole’s injury, is currently seventh in ERA at 3.35 after Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays. They also rank in the top five of almost every major team pitching statistic.

Yankees Rotation Thriving, Even Without Gerrit Cole

Veterans Keep Rotation Afloat

After Gerrit Cole went down with an elbow injury in spring training, New York only leaned more on established veterans Marcus Stroman and Carlos Rodón to bolster their starting rotation. Both have pitched well, but it’s a big deal to see Rodón finally succeeding in the Bronx. After the Yankees gave the lefty a hefty $162 million deal following his All-Star 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants, Rodón’s first year in pinstripes was a complete dud.

Over this offseason, though, Rodón revamped his repertoire to include a sneaky cutter, which has been a great addition to his 4-seam/slider combo, and the results certainly speak for themselves: four of his eight starts have been quality starts, which is already more than his 2023 total (three). Though Rodón’s bounce-back season has been notable, two of his contemporaries behind him in the rotation have stolen the show.

Schmidt and Gil Dazzle After Rough 2023

Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil have been stellar in the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation, respectively. They’ve combined for seven of the Yankees’ 26 wins, not to mention they both have an ERA below 3.00. What’s more impressive, however, is that both players were not locks to be starters before spring training. Schmidt is coming off a 2023 season that saw him post a 9-9 record with a 4.64 ERA, both of which were last amongst Yankees starters (aside from the injured Nestor Cortes), so 2024 was a make-or-break year for the 28-year-old Georgia native.

The Yankees’ 2-0 win against the Rays on Friday, which saw Schmidt match a career-high of 6 2/3 shutout innings, serves as a huge step forward for the right-hander. In a postgame interview, Schmidt made it clear that he wants to continue improving and going deeper into games:

“It’s uncharted territory finally to be able to get there tonight. Obviously, it’s a big talking point. So I try to block out the noise and not worry about it, but I know what I’m capable of doing. And I know I’m very well capable of controlling my pitch count and going deeper into games. It’s a big step in the right direction.”