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Yankees Starters’ Struggles Felt More in Marcus Stroman’s Absence

The Yankees and the Kansas City Royals American League Division Series is getting spicy. Spicier than expected. Despite a 2-1 series lead for the Yankees, the starting pitching seems to be hiccuping. Was leaving Marcus Stroman off the postseason roster a mistake?

Thus far, Yankees starting pitching has not been as sharp as we know it to be.  Their first three starters have not gone beyond the fifth inning. Based on the results of these starts, Stroman’s name should circulate a bit more. 

Marcus Stroman’s Absence Felt on Yankees Postseason Roster

Subpar Starting Pitching in Games 1-2

Despite a Game One victory, we saw some struggle with Gerrit Cole. Although he filled the zone with strikes, his command and pitch locations were questionable. The Yankees ace stayed in the zone and his offerings were taken advantage of. 

Cole lasted only five innings in this outing, letting up three earned runs. He left the game without the lead, therefore he was not able to pick up the win. Thankfully, the Yankees were able to snag the 6-5 victory.

Game Two’s starter also struggled. Southpaw Carlos Rodón only hung on for 3 2/3 innings with a very questionable line. Despite the seven strikeouts, the lefty allowed seven hits and four earned runs, including a home run. 

These were the only four runs scored by the Royals in this game. To follow that up, the Yankees utilized seven relievers to eat up the rest of the innings. Despite all zeroes from the bullpen, Kansas City came away with a 4-2 win.

Game Three’s Starter Followed Suit

The Yankees went with Clarke Schmidt in Game Three in Kansas City. Similar to the other two starters, Schmidt did not make it beyond five innings. He finished after 4 2/3 innings of work.

Schmidt allowed two runs on four hits, striking out four and walking one. The right-hander did throw a ton of strikes. However, the longevity expected of him was not there.

Marcus Stroman Could’ve Been the Answer

With all three starters not surpassing the five-inning mark, it is clear that Marcus Stroman is needed if the Yankees advance. Stroman would have been beneficial in terms of both effectiveness and depth.

The right-hander could be a platoon starter and could be inserted to fill a rotational spot based on matchups. He could also be the next guy up out of the bullpen, eating multiple innings. This would keep the workload managed in the bullpen and arms would be available in other situations. 

Stroman has 30 2/3 innings of postseason experience and has faced various high-pressure situations. The righty holds a 1-1 record in five starts with 21 strikeouts. 

Stroman Can Thrive in Any Role

It is known that Stroman executes a very diverse repertoire and does it with emphasis. His seven-pitch arsenal is effective and non-predictable. His effectiveness is crucial in either a starter or reliever role. 

Stroman forces a lot of ground-outs and fly-outs, with calculated use of his slider, slurve, and curveball. The slider has an 18% put-away rate, the slurve is at 15.3%, and the curveball is 15.2%.

This season, Stroman has an 8.9% walk rate, and is below 50% on hard-hit balls against, sitting at 40.2%. He’s recorded a 6.7% barrel rate, meaning he misses barrels and stays out of hitter’s wheelhouses. 

Stroman’s ground ball percentage sits at 49.9% to end the season, along with a 23.3% fly-ball rate. His metrics are parallel to his pitch options and pitch usage. These numbers could help address New York’s issue with starting pitching, even if his innings of work were the same or even less. 

The Yankees may have made a wrong move in leaving Stroman off the postseason roster. 

 

Photo Credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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