With Gerrit Cole plastering the headlines for the New York Yankees, other players have slipped through the cracks regarding media attention. Rightfully so, when you acquire the best pitcher in baseball for $324 million, however, the Yankees only added to an already steady starting pitching rotation.
Cole will join a group led by Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and James Paxton. The Bombers are now in a position to completely dominate all of baseball, starting with their pitching, a factor that has been tumultuous at times in recent years. As we saw last season, one injury can be catastrophic to the team, but manager Aaron Boone supplemented his losses with ease, utilizing his strong bullpen to smooth over wins.
The New York Yankees have a lowkey weapon waiting for reinstatement:
One of the Yankees’ more consistent pitchers in 2019 was Domingo German, who’s now facing domestic abuse allegations that will inevitably result in a lengthy suspension. I suspect German will be forced to sit out at least 40 games next season, but his return will be just another positive addition to the rotation. He will likely slot in as the 5th starter, behind Cole, Severino, Paxton, and Tanaka.
It’s also possible German is used in a bullpen role, especially if Jordan Montgomery is pitching well. Monty pitched two consecutive seasons of sub-4.00 ERA baseball before succumbing to Tommy John surgery.
German finished last season with an 18-4 record, logging a 4.03 ERA and 153 strikeouts. There’s little evidence to suggest German can’t re-enter the starting rotation and continue his development.
Going into just his third full season, Domingo is on track to become a potential ace or No. 2 man in the MLB, and while his suspension might hinder his progression a bit, he has all of the physical tools to be a premium arm. Having so much talent in the pitching rotation that German might not even crack the 5th spot is quite impressive.