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Three Yankees Relievers Set to Break Out in 2017

By Evan Halpine-Berger

Sep 21, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Jonathan Holder (65) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 11-5. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Jonathan Holder (65) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 11-5. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Chad Green (57) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Chad Green (57) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Chad Green

If Green finds himself the odd-man out of the Yankees rotation next spring, there’s a strong possibility he could end up breaking camp as a reliever, which may be the role he’s best suited for long-term anyway.

Like Heller, Green’s best asset is his mid-to-upper 90’s four seamer. MLB Pipeline notes that he was working in the 90-94 range prior to coming over to the Yankees, and now “he’s sitting at 93-95 mph and touching 97.”

None of his secondary offerings are anything special, which limit his ceiling as a starter. In the pen, that would be less of an issue for him. It’s also worth seeing whether Green’s heater might be improved even further in short relief.

The 25-year-old righty had a 5.94 ERA in eight big league starts last year, but held opponents scoreless during his 9.1 innings out of the bullpen. Green did show promise as a starter in Triple-A last year, pitching to a 1.52 ERA and 0.940 WHIP while striking out 9.5 batters per nine in 16 starts for Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

However, you could make the argument that the team has no shortage of fifth starter types lining up for rotation jobs, so if Green is a potential stud as a short reliever, the team may want to look at him in that role.

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