Sometimes it feels like the Yankees could hand a ball to a librarian and still get six quality innings out of him.
Right now, that ball belongs to Ryan Yarbrough—and he’s doing more than just keeping the seat warm.
The Yankees are red hot and it’s not just the stars
With a 33–20 record and a +111 run differential, the Yankees have been hammering opponents and doing it with style.
They’ve won eight of their last 10 games and they just handled the Angels 5–1 on Monday night with ease.
But the story wasn’t Aaron Judge or Paul Goldschmidt.
It was Yarbrough, the 32-year-old journeyman lefty, who keeps proving the moment isn’t too big for him.
Yarbrough’s style: slow, steady, and absolutely devastating
Yarbrough pitched six innings of one-run baseball, striking out seven with his usual bag of tricks.
He doesn’t light up the radar gun.
His sinker clocks in at 87.6 mph. His changeup moves like a ghost. His sweeper slides under bats.
But here’s the magic: batters aren’t hitting him hard, if at all.
He ranks in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate and sits in the 92nd percentile in barrel rate.
Those aren’t just solid numbers—they’re elite.
The changeup might be one of baseball’s nastiest
One pitch in particular has become Yarbrough’s calling card.
His changeup.
Opponents are batting just .150 against it and it features an eye-popping 47.8% whiff rate.
That’s video game-level stuff.
It’s why even the best lineups are swinging through air and grounding out weekly when he’s on the mound.
Matt Blake’s magic touch strikes again
Once again, pitching coach Matt Blake deserves a nod for another resurrection.
Yarbrough was brought in as a spot starter and has now tossed 35.1 innings with a 3.06 ERA.
That would earn him a spot in almost any rotation in baseball.
And the Yankees? They’re letting him roll with it.
Until further notice, Yarbrough isn’t just a placeholder—he’s an answer.
He’s earning a permanent seat at the table
With Luis Gil still working his way back, the Yankees needed someone to stabilize the back end of their rotation.
Yarbrough has been that guy.
He may not be flashy.
He won’t blow a 98 mph fastball past you.
But he’s surgical, efficient, and giving the Yankees exactly what they need.
Another overlooked arm giving a playoff team premium innings without a premium price tag.
Just the way the Yankees like it.
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