New York Yankees Editorial: What is CC Sabathia’s Postseason Value?

Monday night in Tampa Bay may as well have been “turn back the clock” night for New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia. The 35-year-old left-hander pitched like it was 2009, hurling 6.2 innings of shutout ball against the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was a surprisingly dominant performance in a year that has been filled with disappointment for Sabathia. Heading in to Monday’s start, his record stood at a measly 4-9, with an ERA that ballooned all the way to 5.16. However, when Sabathia took the Tropicana Field mound Monday evening, none of those statistics seemed to matter.

He delivered a vintage performance, giving up only three hits and striking out six Rays hitters. It was the type of performance that could give Yankees fans hope that the once dominant Sabathia still has a little something left in the tank.

Back in Spring Training, the Yankees starting rotation was a major question mark. As we sit here in the middle of September, not much has changed. Nathan Eovaldi is hurt and will not pitch for the rest of the regular season. He may not even be available for the playoffs either. Ivan Nova has been taken out of the starting rotation and sent to the bullpen. Even Michael Pineda has been inconsistent recently. Pineda has a 6.21 ERA and is 1-3 in his last six outings.

As odd as it may seem, the Yankees may need lean on Sabathia, a pitcher with an ERA that just recently dipped under 5.00, more than they had anticipated.

I have been a Sabathia fan since his days in Cleveland as a member of the Indians. I remember watching the hefty lefty pitch in the 2007 ALDS against the Yankees, and thinking to myself, “This guy would look good in pinstripes.” My wish was granted prior to the 2009 season when the Yankees signed Sabathia to a seven-year $161 million deal. The impact of the signing was felt immediately, as Sabathia helped lead the Yankees to a World Series title that year.

Fast forward to the present. Sabathia is no longer the ace of the Yankees staff, nor is he dialing up an upper-90’s fastball. Despite a noticeable drop in his velocity and overall dominance, Sabathia still can be a key contributor for the Yankees as they head into the postseason.

Sep 9, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher

CC Sabathia

(52) reacts after being taken out of the game in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Sabathia’s veteran prowess will be a big help for the Yankees in October. Unlike the majority of the Yankees starting rotation, Sabathia has pitched in the postseason. In fact, he has pitched in multiple postseasons, and even in a World Series. As any baseball fan knows, pitching in the playoffs is monumentally more difficult than pitching in the regular season. Each pitch carries so much weight, and this type of pressure can be unnerving to guys who have never seen postseason action.

Postseason experience has allowed Sabathia to become both familiar with, and understand, this type of pressure. This experience gives him a distinct advantage over some of the younger Yankees starters who have never taken the mound when the leaves turn to brown. Sabathia has pitched in 107.1 innings during his postseason career. The only other Yankees starter with any postseason experience is Nova. His career postseason innings total sits at 8.1.

As much as it pains me to say this, Sabathia could also be a viable option for the Yankees out of the bullpen come October. Hypothetically, say Joe Girardi goes with a postseason rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, Pineda, Luis Severino and a fourth starter to be named later. If that fourth starter does not turn out to be Sabathia, he could become a long relief man out of the bullpen. Sabathia would be the type of pitcher that the Yankees could trust to give them three to four innings of work, similar to Adam Warren, should the need arise.

It pains me to talk about Sabathia coming out of the bullpen because I truly think he can still help this team out as a starting pitcher. On the other hand, I also could see the bullpen being a good fit.

What if the Yankees find themselves in a situation where one of their starters gets knocked out in the fourth inning, and Warren pitched multiple innings the night before? Who better than Sabathia to come pitch in a situation like that? I would certainly rather take my chances with Sabathia on the bump for multiple innings in that spot instead of some of the alternatives, which include Bryan Mitchell or Nick Rumbelow, amongst others.

While coming out of the bullpen would certainly be something Sabathia would have to embrace, I think he would be exactly the type of player to do so. He has always been a team-first player, and willing to do whatever it takes to help the Yankees succeed. Transitioning to a reliever may be viewed by some as “a fall from grace” for Sabathia. On the contrary, I think it could help him, and the Yankees, make a deep postseason run.

A myriad of criticism and doubt have followed Sabathia all season long. Nevertheless, his competitive drive has helped him navigate through a tumultuous 2015 campaign. If Monday night’s start was any indication of what’s to come, Yankees fans should get accustomed to seeing much more of number 52 as the calendar flips to October.

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