Yankees: 3 Ways Aaron Boone Can Creatively Use Pitching Staff for 60-Game Season

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The New York Yankees should use the pitching staff to their ultimate advantage in 2020.

Gerrit Cole is now a Bronx Bomber and he’ll be as a fresh as ever for a 60-game season, which fans have to be thrilled about. The strain of a usual MLB campaign won’t wear him down. The same goes for Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton, considering the former typically pitches better with more rest, while the latter continuously deals with injuries.

But what’s perhaps the best about all of this? The bullpen will be ready to mow down the competition come playoff time with significantly less mileage on their arms. That means Yankees manager Aaron Boone needs to figure out ways to creatively use the pitching staff in 2020 to maximize the team’s potential.

Let’s take a look at a few ways he can shake things up and throw off New York’s opponents.

3. Give Top Prospects Some Spot Starts

Deivi Garcia #83 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Top pitching prospects will need some reps this year, so the Yankees should give them spot starts.

The Yankees will be playing the Orioles a lot in 2020, and we know how bad Baltimore is, even if they managed to get their hands on some top young players over the last couple of years via the MLB Draft. Why not use those games to give some younger pitchers an opportunity to get valuable reps under their belt? Deivi Garcia, Michael King, Clarke Schmidt and Albert Abreu (to name a few) are among the top prospect pitchers in the team’s 60-man player pool. Giving them an inning or two against inferior opponents such as the Orioles could go a long way. We don’t know what the schedule will look like just yet, and while every game counts, it’ll also be important to get these top guys some ample playing time so they don’t lose an entire year of development. After all, the Yankees will have guys like JA Happ, Jordan Montgomery, Jonathan Loaisiga, Chad Green, and the entire bullpen to back up these youngsters in case the spot starts go south right off the bat (which we doubt will happen often).

2. More Bullpen Games/Openers, Please!

Chad Green #57 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Chad Green proved in 2019 that the Yankees can use an “opener” successfully.

This goes hand in hand with what we just talked about. Using the top prospects for spot starts would essentially be a bullpen game unless they’re absolutely rolling and can go 2-3 innings. But here we’re talking about the use of actual relievers.

Any which way you look at it, the Yankees really only have a three-man rotation with Cole-Tanaka-Paxton. Like we’ve said a hundred times, we can no longer bank on Domingo German coming back and pitching lights out — he’s lost for the season. Gumby is coming off Tommy John surgery. JA Happ can be used a hybrid starter/reliever (let’s be honest, he won’t be used as a starter most of the time if Boone can help it). Maybe let’s give Tommy Kahnle and Adam Ottavino some action as an opener? Dare I suggest Chapman?

This could be a good tactic for when the playoffs roll around. Attack the opposition’s hitters when they’re at their strongest with a fresh pitcher each inning to kick off the game, then use some guys for 2-3 innings as we approach the ninth.

Changing up the pitching styles early in a high-stakes game will go a long way towards throwing off hitters and breaking them down as the game progresses. It might sound crazy — truly, it does — but with an expanded postseason, creativity will be key. We’ve seen the Yankees bats go dead in the postseason before, so a fresh approach with the pitching staff to keep opposing offenses at bay will help offset a sluggish start from New York’s sluggers.

1. Tanaka and Paxton Closing Out Games?

James Paxton #65 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

The Yankees should give Tanaka and Paxton more experience in high-leverage situations.

You’re probably done with me at this point, but this farfetched idea could help get these guys prepared for the pressure of the postseason.

We know Tanaka has been the team’s best option in such games over the course of the last few years, but why not get him even more acclimated to the playoff atmosphere? Say Boone goes with an opener or a prospect spot start as we previously suggested. He can then turn to Tanaka or Paxton for the final 3-6 innings depending on how the game is going.

This doesn’t have to be happening on a regular basis, but sprinkling in some change will help in a multitude of ways. Not to be a pessimist here, but Tanaka is not very good in high leverage situations (he allowed a slash line of .247/.286/.543 with seven home runs and 33 runs scored in 26 games last year), which will be more plentiful as the games progress, so he can work out the kinks in such opportunities.

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Paxton didn’t fare any better, allowing 21 runs on a .262/.292/.385 slash line in 24 games in 2019. Provide more situations for these guys to prove themselves, and they’ll be even more prepared for the top competition in October. All in all, the shortened season will give Boone some flexibility to try out some new things, as well as make sure the pitching staff in its entirety will be crucial in capturing World Series No. 28.

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Yankees: 3 Ways Aaron Boone Can Creatively Use Pitching Staff in 2020