The New York Yankees feel very good about their starting rotation, especially with both Deivi Garcia and Domingo German dominating the spring. GarcÃa earned the start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday evening, 4-1. However, GarcÃa had an up and down performance but showed off one major skill that is necessary for an MLB starter.
Garcia allowed four walks, including getting himself into a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, but managed to strike out Andrew Knapp to get himself out of trouble. GarcÃa currently hosts a 1.64 ERA this spring with 12 strikeouts and five hits allowed over 11.0 innings.
There is no question that Garcia is capable of being a starter this upcoming season, and the Yankees could elect to go with a six-man rotation, giving Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon a bit more time to heal up following major injuries. I feel as though this is a positive move for skipper Aaron Boone, as he can mitigate fatigue and make sure his two new acquisitions this offseason are 100% healthy before making them more prominent pieces in the rotation.
Garcia can be a phenomenal sixth man, with Domingo German all about locking up the fifth spot in the rotation.
The Yankees bet on German, and he’s paying off:
German has looked absolutely phenomenal the spring, securing a 0.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 9.0 innings. He’s allowed five hits but has revitalized his form following an 81 game suspension due to a domestic violence case. Having two young pitchers making significant leaps is exactly what the Yankees needed, and they always have Luis Severino later in the summer when he makes his return from Tommy John surgery. This starting unit is picking up steam at the right time ahead of the regular season, and this is the most optimistic I felt about them in quite some time.
The reinforcements that Severino provides later on in the season will likely be significant, but GarcÃa showing off his talents in the spring is what I’m excited about now. Hopefully, he can take care of some of those nagging problems, like excessive walks, allowing four against Philadelphia. He has now walked six batters this spring, but I don’t see that as a significant issue.