One pitcher that could end up being the Yankees’ number two by the end of the season

The New York Yankees have a lot of options in their rotation this year. The recent signing of Corey Kluber and the acquisition of Jameson Taillon have added needed depth for New York. Germán will be making his return after serving his suspension, and Severino is expected back sometime this summer. There are going to be a lot of options for New York come playoff time. However, no one knows for sure what it’s going to look like. All we do know is that as long as he’s healthy, Gerrit Cole will be the game one starter. But the number two is still very unknown.

So who could it be?

Anybody in the Yankees rotation is good enough to be the number two guy. However, one name that doesn’t come up often is Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery is the only lefty option in the Yankees’ rotation. He has a great mix of pitches and has even started a playoff game. In 2017, Montgomery was in the rookie of the year race and posted a 3.88 ERA. He had a fantastic rookie showing. However, the injuries he’s dealt with since have caused many people to tune him out. 

Jordan Montgomery is still a very impressive player. Many look at his 5.11 ERA that he posted last year and immediately didn’t consider him a top option. That’s not unfair considering the numbers that Kluber, Taillon, and Germán are capable of. Yet, that doesn’t mean we should disregard him. 

Montgomery had one of the best pitching performances this spring and has shown many signs of improvement throughout. For example, in his three starts this spring, you can tell he was more accurate among breaking pitches. StatCast shows that a good amount of breaking balls he threw last year ended up being hung over the plate, which caused major inflation in Montgomery’s ERA. A game against the Rays in September of last year was a prime example of that. He wasn’t able to complete an inning. His lack of control caused him to allow four runs on five hits in just two-thirds of an inning. The improvement in spring training is very encouraging. 

If Montgomery is able to establish control among those pitches, he will be a very good option for New York. As the only lefty in the rotation, his success would be huge for the Yankees. They haven’t had a good lefty presence in October since CC Sabathia retired. It would be awesome to see Montgomery fill that role.