The bullpen for the Yankees the past two seasons has been one of their strengths. However, a couple of key pitchers have either lost their touch or are free agents. So there are a couple of spots open for new arms in the bullpen.
Adam Ottavino is the one that jumps out on the paper. Coming off of a breakout season, Ottavino put himself out there as one of the best bullpen arms in the game and coincidently is now a free agent. Here are two reasons why the Yankees need to get Adam Ottavino.
Keeps the Ball in the Park:
Adam Ottavino pitched most of his games in the hitter-friendly ballpark, Coors Field. Where the ball flies out at a ridiculous rate. One key component for being a Yankees pitcher is you need to keep the ball in the park.
Yankee stadium is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks. A fly out in most parks has the chance to leave the park in the Bronx. In 2018, Ottavino owned a 0.6 HR/9, giving up only five home runs in 77.2 innings pitched. Ottavino rarely gave up the long ball, which makes him almost a perfect fit to join the Yankees.
Elite Arsenal and is Clutch
When the Yankees go out and get new players, you always hear the question “Can they handle the pressure?” We saw a great example of it and a bad example of it, the bad being Sonny Gray. Adam Ottavino showed in the wild-card game against the Cubs that he is able to handle the pressure of a big situation.
But the big reason why is his stuff is lights out. His slider is one of the best in the game. Last year he threw a couple of sliders that reached over 3000 rpm in terms of spin rate. That kind of spin is rarely achieved by anyone.
Adam Ottavino has the stuff and has shown what he can do. If the Yankees want to contend for number 28 this year, they should make a strong run at Ottavino.