The New York Yankees might have won their 15th straight game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night, but the most glaring positive was starting pitcher Domingo German.
With a 16-2 record on the season, German has proven that he can be an ace for the Yankees. At just 24 years old, he has plenty of potential and his ceiling is sky-high. He currently owns a 3.96 ERA, the only pitcher for the Yankees that has a sub 4.00 earned runs average.
Despite facing a subpar Orioles team, German worked his way through seven innings with ease. He allowed two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Adonis Rosa closed the game pitching two innings with one earned run. His first save of the season.
My question is, can German be the ace for the future?
While he often dominates against lesser teams, Domingo struggles against better ball clubs with more productive hitters.
In just his second season, German has tallied 126 strikeouts this year, compared to his 102 in 2018. His walks have decreased exponentially and he continues to show signs of improvement in regards to his overall quality. All signs point towards him being a very productive and efficient pitcher for the future.
Several weeks ago, former Yankee Alex Rodriguez gave his opinion on Domingo German.
He stated while commentating a game, the reason Pedro Martinez was so good was that he could strike you out using one single pitch. The next at-bat he would use another pitch to strike you out, on your final at-bat he would throw every pitch he had to keep you on your toes and unable to predict his choice (loose translation).
German tends to use every pitch he has early on in the game which gives hitters a better idea of what to expect in their second and third at-bats. If he can begin to control that aspect of his pitching arsenal, he will be much more productive and last longer in games against quality opponents.