New York Yankees: Should the Yankees Be Worried About Tanaka?

New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka
May 18, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) leaves the field after getting the third out and being hit by a ground ball against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees were turning to Masahiro Tanaka this season to take Luis Severino’s ace role. However, Yankee fans were let down as Tanaka has not been as dominant this season. He holds a 7-6 record, which doesn’t scream the dominance that he can have. His inflated ERA (4.93) is due to a couple poor outings where Tanaka didn’t survive past the first or second inning.

A big reason for Tanaka’s struggles this season is because his split-fingered fastball has not been as effective as years prior. According to FanGraphs, Tanaka has used his splitter 4.8% less than last year, dropping from 29.9% to 25.1%. He’s made a point about the seams of the baseball feeling different this year, where it could affect his grip which effects the movement of the pitch. New York Mets pitcher, Noah Syndergaard, has mentioned the same thing regarding the MLB baseballs this year.

Should Tanaka be on the postseason rotation?

New York Yankee fans remember Tanaka’s 2017 dominance in the postseason, where he shut down both Minnesota in the Wild Card and Cleveland in the ALDS. He also shut down the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 American League Wild Card game. Obviously, he has the grit to perform in the postseason, and it seems that he really locks in during October. I think Tanaka will be on the rotation because it doesn’t seem that the Yankees have lost trust in him. Just a few bumps this season, but I think he’ll really turn it on during the playoffs like he always does.