Some pitchers blow hitters away with velocity. Others, like New York Yankees lefty Ryan Yarbrough, lull them into weak contact and frustration.
He’s not flashy. He doesn’t throw hard. But his results? They’re quality.
And the Yankees have once again shown they’re masters of uncovering undervalued pitching gold.
The Ryan Yarbrough experiment is working perfectly
When the Yankees added Yarbrough, few fans blinked.
He was supposed to be depth—a low-risk veteran who could eat some innings.
But through 29.1 frames this season, he’s delivered a 3.38 ERA and done so with a style that’s becoming increasingly rare.
He doesn’t strike out many hitters. His fastball rarely touches 89 mph. And yet, he ranks in the 99th percentile in both average exit velocity and hard-hit rate.
Opponents are making contact—but it’s soft, frustrating, and usually easy to handle.
Yarbrough is essentially throwing a pillow fight, and somehow, no one can win it.
Yankees needed him badly, and he delivered
Injuries have battered the Yankees’ rotation, forcing Aaron Boone to reach into his bullpen and give Yarbrough a bigger stage.
Against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, the 33-year-old tossed five masterful innings.
He allowed just three hits, one earned run, and struck out eight batters on 81 pitches.
It was the kind of outing that reminds you why balance matters in a rotation—not every arm needs to throw 98 with a wipeout slider.
Sometimes, deception and placement win the war.
Mastering the art of weak contact
Yarbrough uses a clever four-pitch mix: sinker, sweeper, changeup, and cutter.
His sinker is getting hit a bit (.290 average), but the real magic is in his sweeper and changeup.
Those pitches are acting as finishers, setting hitters up with junk they can’t square up.
He generates a ton of soft contact, and his spin rates allow the ball to dance just enough to avoid barrels.
Even without high strikeout rates, he consistently prevents big innings.
Once reinforcements arrive, Yarbrough still has value
As the Yankees inch closer to full health in their rotation, Yarbrough’s role will change.
He’ll shift back to the bullpen, ready to offer long relief or spot starts when needed.
And in October, having a veteran lefty who can come in and change the pace entirely might be invaluable.
He’s not a flamethrower, but in a game filled with velocity, he’s the changeup every great staff needs.
Yarbrough represents yet another sharp move by Brian Cashman—quiet, low-cost, and now, high-reward.
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