While the New York Yankees‘ primary need this offseason was starting pitching, they answered that by trading for Mariners ace James Paxton. Along with that, GM Brian Cashman re-signed J.A. Happ to a two-year deal with a third-year option. Should the deal be confirmed, then Cashman can turn his sights to the bullpen, which needs two quality arms.
David Robertson, Zach Britton, and Andrew Miller all come to mind as suitable options. If none of these work out, then maybe Cashman should turn to a man with a devastating slider.
Adam Ottavino: RHP
2018 Stats (COL):
6-4, 2.43 ERA, 75 Games, 112 SO, 6 Saves, 77.2 IP, 0.991 WHIP, 2.6 WAR
Adam Ottavino is coming off a season in which he set a few career bests. These include ERA (2.43), ERA+ (193), Strikeouts (112), and K/9 (13.0). He was the top arm in a Colorado Rockies bullpen that posted a 4.62 ERA, fifth worst in MLB. This is a year removed from 2017, in which he posted a 5.06 ERA, his career worst as a reliever.
He got off to a hot start in 2018, where he was 3-0 with a 0.56 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and only four walks in March/April. He held opposing batters to a minuscule .082/.182/.102 batting line through the season’s first full month.
His hot start was a sharp contrast to some of his fellow Rockies relievers to start the year. Southpaw Jake McGee had a horrible season, never finishing a month with an ERA under 4 through the entire year. Former Indians setup Bryan Shaw had a poor first half, including June, where he posted an ERA just under 13.
Part of his success comes from his trademark slider, which he threw 46.4% of the time in 2018. Serving as the setup man for closer Wade Davis, Ottavino was huge with runners on base. With RISP, batters hit a measly .147/.267/.221 slash line against Ottavino. Part of his success this year was thanks to his trademark sweeping slider, which he threw 46.4% of the time. Starting in August, he began to struggle, posting an ERA of 4.61, as well as a 4.26 ERA in September.
The 2018 season was the only good full year that Ottavino has had. He similarly started 2015 on the right foot, not allowing a run in 10 appearances before a torn UCL sidelined him for the rest of that year. The rest of his career has been mostly mediocre.