New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil recently got as high of a compliment as a pitcher can get from one of the best to ever do it in the MLB.
Pedro Martinez offers praise to Luis Gil
On the May 7 airing of MLB on TBS: Leadoff, per B/R Walk-Off on X, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez gave his opinion on Gil as a talent, and raved about how special he’s looked to start his career in the Majors, particularly this season (h/t Patrick McAvoy of Fan Nation’s Inside the Pinstripes):
“I love what I’m seeing from this kid,” Martinez said. “He has the opportunity to become really special. If they let him mature and get accustomed to doing what he needs to do. He’s still raw, make no mistake about it, he’s still raw. But as you can see in an abbreviated time in the big leagues, he’s shown that he can be special and I hope they continue to let him pitch in the starting rotation and not have him wander around.”
Yankees: Pedro Martinez’s Hall of Fame credentials add weight to his praise of Luis Gil
Martinez was a 2004 World Series Champion, three-time Cy Young award winner, and led the MLB in ERA five times and the American League in strikeouts three times. He is arguably the greatest pitcher of his era and gave the Yankees fits on numerous occasions.
Therefore, the Dominican legend’s praise of Gil is one to be taken very seriously.
Gil’s numbers, stuff, and impact on winning have been phenomenal for the Yankees in 2024
Gil has been excellent through seven starts for the Yankees in 2024. He’s brought his earned runs average down to an elite 2.92 ERA while posting a brag-worthy 1.135 WHIP.
His stuff has also been exceptional this year, as he’s limited batters to a 31.7 percent hard-hit percentage, putting him in the 84th percentile among pitchers while producing a 96.4 mph fastball velocity which ranks him in the 88th percentile.
When Gil takes the mound, New York takes home wins. His 3-1 record is tied with Clarke Schmidt for the best winning percentage on the team among their five featured starters.
Can Luis Gil be a future ace on an MLB team & even for the Yankees down the line?
While Carlos Rodon has been recognized as the best Yankees pitcher this season and for good reason, Gil is outpacing him in ERA, as well as strikeouts (45-43 advantage) and FIP (3.81 to 4.60 advantage).
He’s a flamethrower who is one of the most efficient pitchers in the big leagues and has a history that proves that his showing in 2024 is not an outlier, but rather a sign of natural progression as a potential future MLB ace. While Gerrit Cole holds that title for the Yankees as the reigning AL Cy Young award winner and Rodon is their No. 2 man, Gil, 25, can evolve into their lead man should he stay a Yankee as those two veterans age.
From one former ace in Martinez to another potential future ace in Gil, the compliment is well-deserved and a telltale sign of greatness from a player who’d have as good of an eye for detecting it as there is today.