New York Yankees 2020 Projections: Adam Ottavino

Ottavino is one of the many pitchers in the Yankees bullpen that makes that staff so dangerous. He is a nightmare for opposing hitters.

Adam Ottavino spent the first eight years of his career in the National League (playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies) before agreeing to a three-year contract with the New York Yankees last offseason.

The addition of Ottavino to go along with Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder, etc., the bullpen of the Yankees is one of the best, if not the best, in MLB. Ottavino didn’t disappoint in his first season in pinstripes despite having some issues later in the season. He proved his worth and value to the bullpen for New York, especially with some pieces that went down with injury and the starting rotation lacking length in games.

In his first season in the Bronx, Ottavino made 73 appearances. He recorded a 6-5 record, an ERA under 2, 88 strikeouts, two saves in 66 innings. Those are dominant numbers for a franchise that has always had a great bullpen to close out games.

However, the bullpen, Ottavino, in particular, was overworked toward the end of the season. As a result of this, Ottavino didn’t have the best postseason performance for the Yankees. He pitched in 3 games against the Twins, lasting only an inning, giving up one hit, two walks, and a strikeout. Ottavino struggled against the Astros. He pitched in 5 games, with an ERA nearing 12, in 2 innings of work, giving up six hits, four runs (3 of them earned), one walk and one home run. That home run is considered the one that hurt the Yankees the most because they had the lead in that game, but Ottavino gave up a late-inning home run that led to Houston defeating New York.

The calendar turns to 2020, and Ottavino is looking to mirror his success from earlier in 2019. So far in Spring Training, he made four appearances, giving up one hit and five strikeouts. He was ready to have a healthy 2020 and put the second half of 2019 behind him, but due to the coronavirus outbreak, that is going to be on hold.

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Ottavino is a great relief pitcher, and I expect him to bounce back this season. His appearances may go down because the Yankees’ starting rotation is poised to do deeper in games, unlike season’s past. That will help Ottavino, though, especially when it comes to the postseason. His repertoire of pitches is excellent too that he shouldn’t focus on the second half of 2019.

Ottavino is a vital piece to the Yankees’ bullpen and will be an essential piece to their success in 2020.