You might be asking yourself just who is this Trevor Rosenthal fellow, and what does he offer to the plate? Better yet, what does he offer the New York Yankees on the mound?
Rosenthal, the 29-year-old strikeout machine from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, elected to pursue a free agency in early August. Not long after, the New York Yankees acquired Rosenthal and agreed to a minor league deal.
I want to examine his history and stats throughout his major league career. Rosenthal has pitched on three different organizations, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, and Washington Nationals. During his time with the Cards, he showed no mercy and flourished. Through 6 seasons and 325.0 innings pitched, he posted a fantastic ERA of 2.99, while establishing other substantial numbers, such as a 2.60 FIP, 12.0 K/9 and a 0.5 HR/9 (Baseball-Reference). The only concern at the time was his extremely high 4.0 BB/9 ratio, and the pinpoint reason why his 1.30 WHIP wasn’t exceptional.
As for the Tigers and Nats, the stats aren’t precisely elite by any standards. Through 15.1 innings of work, Rosenthal racked up an outrageous ERA of 13.50, while posting a 6.87 FIP and a 2.41 WHIP. Diving deeper into the ocean of uncertainty, Rosenthal also collected a 9.98 K/9 and a 15.26 BB/9. Although Rosenthal has been known for his abilities to strikeout batters left and right, the rest of his numbers scream unsatisfactory and by a significant margin. The small sample size argument makes sense in this case, but regardless, his BB/9 is rather alarming.
Taking a quick glimpse at his 2019 projections, Rosenthal is expected to possess the following stat line this season:
- 33.7 IP / 3.48 ERA / 3.28 xFIP / 1.37 WHIP
- .234 AVG / 12.30 K/9 / 4.54 BB/9 / 0.80 HR/9Â
Rosenthal’s expected 4.54 BB/9 will remain a major concern for New York Yankees fans and the organization in its entirety. However, his expected 12.30 K/9 and 0.80 HR/9 are rather impressive, especially considering Yankee Stadium is known for its short porch and home run derby like atmosphere. Will Rosenthal live up to the hype in the minors and produce quality outings for the Yanks later in the season? Only the future will determine the outcome, hopefully for the better and not the worst.