After Jack Curry’s report about Nestor Cortes needing an MRI on his left elbow, the Yankees may have to turn to veteran right-hander Cody Poteet in the postseason. With the loss of a key arm in the rotation, Poteet could give them a bulk arm who can provide innings and stability, but his lack of consistent MLB success brings plenty of concern about whether he can adequately do the job or not. With a 3.92 ERA in 10 outings in Triple-A, which has been very hitter-friendly over the past two seasons, there’s some upside in his game, but can the Yankees maximize his value with October looming?
The Yankees are in a precarious situation now, as the team leader in innings pitched and WAR on the pitching side could have his entire season jeopardized.
Can Cody Poteet Step Up For the Yankees?
Shut down in the middle of the season due to a shoulder issue, Cody Poteet returned to Triple-A in August and saw an uptick in stuff that could help him contribute at the big-league level. His four-seamer is still sitting around 93-94 MPH, but it’s averaging about 16.3 inches of Induced Vertical Break which has made it a better swing-and-miss pitch at the top of the zone.
Across three outings with Scranton to end the season his fastball had a 24.4% Whiff Rate and .367 xwOBACON, allowing it to not only pick up some strikeouts but also prevent damage contact. He’s also relied more on his brand-new sweeper as of late, a pitch that grades out very well in Stuff+ models because it averages nearly 15 inches of horizontal movement from a unique release point, with batters whiffing 42.1% of the time against it.
He’s throwing his sweeper 22.5% of the time, and it’s become a key weapon in his arsenal especially against right-handed batters. One of the biggest issues Poteet had at the Major League level was that he couldn’t generate whiffs consistently, and hopefully, this offering gives him a reliable offering to miss some bats with.
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More sweepers and fewer changeups is the right call when trying to get Major League hitters out, since changeup-first pitchers tend to struggle after dominating Minor League hitters. Coupled with his velocity returning to where it was before the shoulder injury, the stuff looks pretty good for Cody Poteet.
He’s not someone who the Yankees should start in the postseason given how he hasn’t reached the five-inning mark since returning from his injury, but he could be a bullpen weapon. A wide array of pitches that can play to right-handed and left-handed hitters should bode well for that kind of role, and his ability to get some groundballs should allow for some double plays and easier outs as well.
Cody Poteet is in the Bronx right now and could be activated ahead of the second game of this series against the Orioles, and the Yankees may have to deploy him immediately. I would expect either he or Marcus Stroman to start, with the other waiting in the wings to work multiple innings and bridge the gap to the bullpen. With the Orioles having a deep lineup, it will serve as a good test for the right-hander ahead of the postseason.
Desperate times have called for desperate measures, but perhaps Cody Poteet’s new sweeper and his success this season with Scranton and New York could translate into some October magic.