YGY Staten Island Yankees Top 5 Players Of The Week (8/28-9/1)

Mandatory Credit: silive.com

Honorable Mention: RHP Tim Giel (1-1, 4.65)

Giel makes his first appearance on the ranking this week. When you look at some of the pitchers in Staten Island’s strong bullpen this season, the 23-year-old right-hander, who graduated from Columbia University, has gone overlooked. Despite a rough start to his season, Giel finished the year off strong. He turned a 7.11 ERA that he had August 9^th to 4.65 at the end of the year.

The reliever, who was an undrafted free agent signed in June 2013, did not give up an earned run in four of his last five appearances. This was a stretch that was over 12 innings. Despite giving up eight hits in those innings, Giel kept the damage to a minimum by picking up some big strikeouts. He would strikeout 14 batters in his final five games, which is an accomplishment when you consider the fact that he only struck out 30 batters the entire season in 18 games.

This season also featured opponents having more success against him. His opponents’ .BAA went up from .281 in the GCL last season to .319 here in Staten Island. That being said, it’s good to see Giel end his 2014 on a high note and to go into the offseason with some confidence.