Yankees’ News: What Pitcher Will Eat Innings?

In 2014 the New York Yankees only had three pitchers throw for over 100 innings. According to Baseball-Reference.com Hiroki Kuroda threw 199.0 innings, Masahiro Tanaka threw 136.1 innings, and David Phelps threw 113.o innings. Kuroda retired and returned to Japan to finish his baseball career and Phelps was part of the Martin Prado package trade to the Miami Marlins.

That leaves 1/3 pitchers left and Tanaka is a giant question mark heading into the 2015 season. He was shut down for a large part of the season because of a partially torn UCL in his elbow. He did return to finish the 2014 season strong but fans will hold their breath and hope he doesn’t completely tear it in 2015. So that leaves the Yankees world wondering who will eat up innings.

Brian Cashman might have foreseen this problem and did his best damage control in the off-season. In that same package deal that sent Phelps to the Marlins the Yankees received Nathan Eovaldi. In doing so the Yankees received a pitcher who is 24-years old and logged 199.2 in 2014. He has the right stuff to be successful and becoming an understudy of CC Sabathia‘s with the tutelage of Brian McCann he can put it all together. Eovaldi has plenty of time to grow and mature in the Yankee rotation. He will definitely be given his opportunity to prove himself in a struggling rotation.

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There are only a few pitchers on the 40-man roster that are capable of logging a substantial amount of innings. Sabathia for one is a proven ace and a reliable work horse. However, he is 34-years old and hampered by wear-and-tear injuries. Sabathia failed to even log 50 innings in 2014 and finished the season with 46 innings pitched.

Michael Pineda proved he still has the stuff that made him an All-Star in 2011 and made the Yankees trade for him. However, a shoulder injury put him off track from being the dominant pitcher every one hoped he would become. In his come back season in 2014 he pitched well when he was healthy and wasn’t using pine tar. His fall back was the fact that he only pitched 76.1 innings.

Cashman signed a bunch of pitchers to address the health woes and lack of depth that plagued 2014. In doing so, he also alleviated the need for any one pitcher to carry the burden alone. Adam Warren will get his opportunity now that Phelps is gone and the rotation is not locked. Chris Capuano will continue to provide a veteran presence and remain a consistent but unspectacular option. Ivan Nova will work his way back from Tommy John surgery and continue to try to establish himself.

After these options and a few other fall back plans like Scott Baker or Kyle Davies, there are the farm hands who will be given their opportunity at the show.

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