Yankees: Top 10 Starting Pitchers NYY Will Face This Season

10. Eduardo Rodriguez, BOS

vs NYY 18 G (16 GS), 3.87 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 93 IP

It has not been a pleasant offseason for the Boston Red Sox. With Chris Sale going down with a season-ending injury, David Price being dealt to the Dodgers, and Rick Porcello leaving in free agency, Boston is left with scraps for starting pitching. By default, Eduardo Rodriguez is the team’s ace.

That’s no slight to Rodriguez, as he did finish tied for sixth in Cy Young voting in 2019 and he’s made this list for a reason. At just 27 years old, he’s entering his sixth season as a major leaguer, and he’s shown strides in each year. In 2019, he had career highs in ERA (3.81), K (213), GS (34), and IP (203.1).

Against the Yankees last season, Rodriguez went at least five innings in each of his four starts and gave up no more than seven hits or four runs in any of them, including two starts in which he gave up two runs or less. Look out for Rodriguez to continue to improve in 2020.

Games vs BOS: July 31-Aug 2, Aug 14-17, Sep 18-20

9. Blake Snell, TB

vs NYY: 16 GS, 4.41 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 69.1 IP

Just a year removed from his 2018 AL Cy Young campaign, Blake Snell greatly regressed in 2019, partially due to injuries. Overall, his numbers against the Yankees aren’t too bad, but in his last eight outings, he has a 5.09 ERA with seven HR allowed in 35.1 IP.

Despite that, Snell’s strikeout rate actually went up from 11 K/9 in 2018 to 12.4 K/9 in 2019. Although his 2018 campaign was clearly superior, the gap isn’t quite as large as one might imagine. In 2018, Snell had a FIP of 2.94, which increased to a respectable 3.32 in 2019.

With all that being said, there’s no telling if Snell will be as effective as he was in 2018, but given his lack of success against the Yankees, it’s safe to say he doesn’t rank among the biggest challenges for the club moving forward.

Games vs TB: Aug 6-9, Aug 18-20, Aug 31-Sep 2