New York Yankees Bullpen Dominates Important Pitching Category

New York Yankees, Zack BRitton
Jul 28, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton (53) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning during game two of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees signing former Colorado Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino only adds to a stellar bullpen, and they’re now one of the most lethal in striking out opposing batters.

An exciting slew of statistics:

When you think about Ottavino, Zach Britton, Dellin Batances and Aroldis Chapman, you probably say to yourself, “where are the weaknesses for the Yankees in their pitching rotation?”

There really aren’t any, as they’re now one of the most strikeout efficient groups in the league, averaging a combined 2.67 ERA in 2018. Each pitcher has an impressive skill-set tailored to the opposing teams batters. Ottavino is stellar against teams with home-run centric ideologies, similar to the Yanks. Last season, he allowed just five homers in 77.2 innings.

Aside from the new additions’ immense skill-sets, the group together strikes out an average of 1.5 batters per-inning. The Bombers were caught red handed in the ALDS against a talented base-hit led Boston Red-Sox lineup. While they present plenty of power, they played the long-game, hitting for the bases and setting themselves up with runners in scoring position.

With pitching that’s centralized around strikeouts, it presents a better solution to teams that tend to rely on getting on base rather than hitting balls out of the park.

A strong weakness:

When you consider that the worst starting relief option on the team is Zach Britton, you’re probably cracking a very large smile. Britton has a career ERA of 3.21 and 3.10 in 2018 with the Orioles and Yankees. In New York, he elevated his game and finished up with a 2.88 ERA. He clearly understand what it takes to wear the Pinstripes.

My biggest concern with Zach is ultimately his strikeout rate, as he only caught batters swinging 34 times in 40 innings, averaging 0.85 strikeouts per-inning last season. That’s the lowest number of the group, but then again, Britton is often utilized in specific situations given the fact that he’s a lefty pitcher with a specialized sinker (averages 95 MPH).

Every option is a strength, and they can tactically use each of them to get them out of tough situations or close up games. We are in for a pitching master-piece this season if everything goes to plan!