The Yankees best bullpen arms are not named Chapman or Betances

One of the Yankees biggest question marks all season has been their bullpen. Yankees by Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, some lesser known arms have made a significant impact.

The Yankees success has depended on its bullpen. When it’s been solid, the Yankees have won ballgames. When it has struggled, the Yankees struggled. Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman have been the big arms, both clocking in at triple digits, but from opposite sides. They’ve racked up 112 strikeouts in just 68.1 innings and totaled a combined 2.77 ERA.

In mid-July, the Yankees and White Sox struck a deal that brought in Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson and got rid of Tyler Clippard. This brought in two reliable right handed arms to the Bronx, and shipped arguably the worst pitcher to the South Side of Chicago.

But the team’s two best arms have been the ones Joe Girardi has gone to the most. Adam Warren has tallied 45.2 innings, and Chad Green has thrown 44.1, 42.1 out of the pen. Combined, the two have accounted for 88 of the Yankees 350 bullpen innings in 2017, and have both posted ERA’s under two.

Yankee fans are have been hearing about Adam Warren for years. Warren was drafted by the Yankees in 2009 and made his debut for the Yankees in 2012. He was traded to the Cubs for Starlin Castro in December of 2015 but was back in pinstripes almost seven months later when Aroldis Chapman was sent to Chicago.

He has brought a lot to the organization off the field, including Castro, Chapman and Gleyber Torres, simply by being trade bait only to be back. Well played, Cashman, well played.

More from Yanks Go Yard

Warren is having a career year, pitching to a 1.97 ERA, with 43 strikeouts and a 0.81 WHIP in his 45. Innings. He is in the top 10 in ERA for relievers with at least 45 innings pitched across Major League Baseball. Warren has come in numerous times over the course of the season and has completely shut down opponents.

In fact, opposing batters are hitting just .158 off of Warren. His 92-94 mile-per-hour fastball won’t blow anyone away, but his pinpoint location and ability to mix his secondary pitches for strikes in any count leaves hitters practically guessing.

Chad Green pitched for the team in 2016 and started 2017 off in Triple-A. He was called up to the Yankees in early May and made his season debut on May 9. Since he was called up, he has pitched to a 1.83 ERA, in which he made one spot start.

But out of the pen, Green has been untouchable. His 1.47 ERA as a reliever is lower than some of the games best, including Craig Kimbrel and Andrew Miller. He has 62 strikeouts in his 44.1 innings this year and holding hitters to a .142 batting average and a 0.74 WHIP.

The combo of Warren and Green has been a weapon that no one saw coming. Betances and Chapman have been solid in 2017, but haven’t been their sharpest. The new big two in the Bronx have posted ridiculous numbers, and have saved the bullpen.

Next: Up Next: The Waiver Deals!

With these two pitching as well as they have been, and the new additions of Kahnle and Robertson, have made the Yankees bullpen extremely dangerous.

Home/Yankees News