Yankees starting pitcher Frankie Montas will be missing the first month of the season due to shoulder inflammation. Montas was acquired last year along with Lou Trivino in a trade with the Athletics to help bolster the pitching depth. Montas was originally slated to be the Yankees fifth starter this season. After a disastrous start to his tenure, New York was counting on him to bounce back in 2023. With Montas now out, I believe the Yankees should slot in Domingo German as the fifth starter.
Bouncing Back From Injuries And Suspension
After dealing with various injuries and a suspension for violating MLB’s personal conduct policy, German is ready to fully contribute. This is the healthiest he has been since the 2019 season. With the suspension and injuries behind him, German can possibly get back to fulfilling the promise he showed in 2019. The good news is that German has even better pitchers ahead of him than he did in 2019.
Career Year In A Weaker Rotation
German’s best season to date was back in 2019 as he finished that year with a record of 18-4 and an ERA of 4.01. His 18 wins led the team, and his ERA was second only to James Paxton. His .818-win percentage led all Major League Baseball. However, his season would be cut short due to violating Major League Baseball’s personal conduct policy. German wouldn’t pitch in the postseason at all that year.
During the 2019 season, the pitchers that were ahead of German in the rotation were Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, and James Paxton. While those guys had a good season record-wise, the only player in that rotation who had an ERA under 4.00 was Paxton. The rest of the starters had a league average at best ERA. It also should be noted that Luis Severino was hampered by injuries all season and only pitched in three games. The only pitcher in that group to appear in the all-star game that season was Tanaka.
He’s Now In An Even Better Rotation
Now, German has even better players in the rotation who will be pitching ahead of him. Those players are Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Severino. Cole, Rodon, and Cortes were all all-stars last season. Cortes and Cole also finished in eighth and ninth place respectively in the AL Cy Young award voting last season as well. Meanwhile, Carlos Rodon finished in sixth place in the NL Cy Young award voting in 2022. His long-time teammate, Luis Severino seems to be poised for a “comeback player of the year” campaign as well. With the players pitching ahead of him, there isn’t any reason why German can’t have success as a starter. There won’t be as much pressure on him as there will be for the pitchers ahead of him.
A Promising Short Season
Last season, German didn’t even make his season debut until July 21st. While he finished with a pedestrian record of 2-5 and an ERA of 3.61, German did plenty of good things. He pitched very well in August registering an ERA of just 2.08 for that entire month. In six starting appearances, he registered three quality starts. This is pretty good considering the Yankees went into a deep slump and finished the month with a record of 10-18.
While he wasn’t as sharp in September, he finished that month with an ERA of 3.51. He also showed how versatile he could be by being used as an opener pitcher. While used as an opener he didn’t give up a run. In four non-opener starting appearances, German registered two quality starts that month. He clearly showed that the great stretch in August was no mirage.
Not Using His Arsenal Enough During His Career Year
Despite having a career year in 2019, German didn’t use his arsenal of pitches very well. He seemed to rely on primarily two pitchers, his fastball and curveball. That season, he was very reliant on the curveball throwing it 36.1% of the time. This is possibly the reason he threw five wild pitches that season. He would throw his fastball 34.4% of the time, and with that, he seemed to neglect his other off-speed pitches. He only threw his change up 19% of the time and his sinker even less at 10.5%. As a result, opponents were able to hammer him for 30 home runs that year.
Varietizing His Pitches
In 2022, German looked like a completely different pitcher. While he still primarily relies on his curveball, which he threw 37.3% of the time, German has mixed in his other pitches. He only threw his fastball 27.3% of the time. His usage of his changeup and sinker increased to 23.2% and 12.2% respectively. His ability to mix in other pitches also allowed him to add more spin on his fastball which was scored in the 97th percentile. He also only walked 19 batters and didn’t throw a wild pitch. He pitched well enough that he was able to make an appearance in the ALCS and threw a scoreless inning.
German Should Be In The Fifth Spot
While Clarke Schmidt is an option to be a fifth starter, he’s never been in the rotation for a full season. Schmidt has been primarily used as a middle reliever. I am also not sure how stretched out he is to be a starter. German has been in the rotation before for a full season and is stretched out to start. With that experience, I don’t see why the Yankees would want to look at anyone else to fill in for Frankie Montas. With German reinventing himself and the success he had last season, he deserves a shot at the fifth spot in the rotation. Who knows, if he pitches well enough, he might give the Yankees a great problem. I believe with German healthy; he’ll only improve and be even better in 2023.
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