New York Yankees News/Rumors: Is Domingo German the pitcher he used to be? Yes the video shows

It’s no secret that the New York Yankees need pitching help after losing three pitchers to free agency. The Yankees failed to give any of them qualifying offers. There is much talk out there that they might engage with Masahiro Tanaka, but only if he will accept a short contract for a greatly reduced amount. If they keep Tanaka, that will give them Gerrit Cole to lead off the rotation, Tanaka and Jordan Montgomery. Obviously, they need for than that and are actively scouring the free-agent market this offseason.

The New York Yankees do have hope in the future as before the All-Star break; they hope to get back Luis Severino, who underwent Tommy John surgery this past February. But the Yankees could get even more help at the beginning of the season with the return of Domingo German, who was suspended all of last season for breaking MLB’s domestic violence protocol. Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner will entertain the idea of taking the Yankees winningness pitcher in 2019 if he truly shows that he is a changed man. It isn’t easy to know exactly what that means for Steinbrenner.

If he does decide to take German back, he might have gotten a look at how well Domingo will pitch after not throwing a ball in a professional game in over 14 months. The 28-year-old Yankees pitcher threw four hitless, scoreless innings, walking one and striking out seven for Toros del Este in his 2020 Dominican League debut last night.

This display of pitching has to be encouraging for the New York Yankees, as it doesn’t look like he had missed a beat from his 2019 season when he went 18-4 with an ERA of 4. Just like this small sample should not be used as an indicator. One season should not be considered a benchmark for future performance, but an 18-4 season is not something to disregard. His ERA of 4.03 was higher than the Yankees would like to see but is not unusual for a young pitcher that has not yet reached his prime. Many young pitchers tire as the year progresses, and their ERA often rises. German won his first three games of the season with an ERA of 1.006. His last three games would see him losing 2 of 3 and with an ERA of 4.11.

It is negative to assume that there will be future domestic problems with German. I prefer to believe he has learned his lesson and will not put his future career in harm’s way. German has the tools to become the Yankees’ next great pitcher.  He is a five-pitch pitcher with a devastating curveball, a four-seamer in the mid 90’s a  high 80’s change, a steep sinker, and a seldom-used slider.

Keep in mind that he is two years younger than the Yankee’s new ace Gerrit Cole and of the Yankee pitching staff, German is the only one to come close to Cole’s 2019 record.  German gained valuable experience from all those major-league starts last year (24) and three relief appearances.  At the end of the season, he sat at or near the top of the statistical leaderboards among American League pitchers.   All of these are reasons he should return.  From what I saw in 2019, the limelight and pressure to perform made him an even greater bet for a bright future with the Yankees.