The Yankees have the second-best record in all of baseball, and annoyingly their divison, which is helped in a big way by having the second best team ERA (3.48) in the majors. Where some players have failed to live up to expectations, guys like Loaisiga have come out of nowhere to patch up any holes. Like last year, these Yankees have a staff that gives them a chance to win most games.

Starting Pitching

Luis Severino – The best New York Yankees homegrown ace in probably my entire lifetime (born in ’86). Severino would be a lock to win the CY Young if Justin Verlander weren’t so busy being a thorn in all of our sides. The man has 14 wins, which matches up nicely with his 144 strikeouts he’s dealt. If there’s one guy you want to see on the mound for the Yankees it’s Sevy.

He had a rough start heading into the All-Star break, and his first start in a wet Boston this season was a mess, but otherwise he’s been a monster in his 20 starts on the year. His velocity is unmatched by the rest of the league’s starters, and he’s going to get a rest after pitching in the All-Star Game for the first time, so that should help with any trouble he had ending the first half of the year.

The Yankees playoff hopes are heavily tied into Severino’s ability to outshine other teams’ best pitchers, and this year all the signs are saying he’s ready.

Grade: A+

C.C. Sabathia – The Yankees’ stopper. C.C. has been driving hitters nuts with all the soft contact he forces with his crafty pitching style. It may seem like there’s men on base often while he’s on the mound, but there’s also a calm with Sabathia, having seen him escape trouble hundreds of times. He’s the only pitcher in triple-digits innings pitched (100 exactly) on the Yankees besides Severino, and while he’s given up 129 combined hits/walks, he’s sporting a solid 3.51 ERA by allowing less than 31% of those runners to score.

You always hear commentary hyping up Sabathia as a big clubhouse guy, and that may be his most important role on such a young pitching staff. The Yankees have a lot of talent, but C.C.’s ability to keep his teammates loose and prepared makes him basically a player-coach. I never thought I’d like C.C. when he was a Cleveland Indian, but here we are ten years later, and I just want to see him keep doing great things on his way to the Hall of Fame.

Grade: B+

Jonathan Loaisiga – Johnny Lasagna came straight from Double-A to the MLB, and he handled it with absolute grace. 4 starts with a 3.00 ERA, and while he only pitched 18 innings, he also had a nice K/9 rate of 10.50. If he didn’t catch the eyes of enemy GMs/scouts than I feel bad for the rest of the league. If his arm were already stretched out, and he could pitch a full season’s worth of innings, Johnny Lasagna would be the Yankees’ 3rd best starter right now.

Grade: B

Jordan Montgomery – The biggest injury of the Yankee season. This guy has been overshadowed by a lot of the youth in NY the last two seasons, but Jordan Montgomery was showing signs of great things with each start he put under his belt. He only started 6 games this season, and may not pitch at all next season due to Tommy John surgery, and it’s a huge blow to this rotation.

It’s hard to grade him this year, without looking at last year, but I just hope he can return to form in the future.

Grade: B-

Masahiro Tanaka – Very glad he’s back from injury, and I have a lot of faith in Tanaka’s ability in the Playoffs after last year, but him giving up 2 HRs per 9 innings is insane. His injury on the basepaths was a bummer, as Tanaka gets stronger with innings pitched, but I don’t think it’s going to effect his overall numbers too much.

Tanakula has to be better in the second half of 2018 if the Yankees are going to catch Boston for first place. His 4.54 ERA isn’t impressing anyone, while he’s a dangerous man in the strikeouts department, he needs to be more willing to walk batters, instead of throwing meatballs in the strikezone with three balls in the count.

Grade: C

Domingo German – For a starter, this guy starts off pretty weak on the regular. He’s usually lights-out when he settles in, but Domingo German is the poster-child for the Tampa Bay Rays’ new bullpen starter tactic. If he can escape the first couple of innings without giving up too much damage, he’s usually in line for the quality start (5 in 12 Starts).

I’m not sure if German is someone I want pitching in the Playoffs this season, but he’s a player I’d like to see develop as a Yankee. He may end up as part of a trade for a different starting pitcher, but I hope German is just beginning his tenure as part of the Yankee rotation for years to come. I mean, his K/9 is better than even Severino’s (10.53 vs 10.10).

Grade: C

Luis Cessa – One quality start in his two tries, and it was a solid victory. His other five appearances this season were far less impressive. Cessa has been on the Yankees a few years now, and at 26 years old he’s probably not a staple in their future.

Grade: D

Sonny Gray – The guy I expected to be the X-factor in the Yankees lineup this year, and while he is, it’s not in the positive way I’d hoped. Sonny Gray has been bad on the mound, but what’s worse are the self-deprecating things he says in his post-loss interviews. Dude sounds downright depressed, and that’s the feeling his gives most Yankee fans when they watch him start in 2018.

His numbers could get better, but Sonny Gray has given me little faith in any turnaround. He has the same amount of quality starts in as many chances as C.C. Sabathia (7 out of 18), but the 5.46 ERA is abysmal this late in the year.

Grade: D-

Bullpen

Aroldis Chapman – The man responsible for bringing Gleyber Torres to the Yankees is also the most intimidating closer in baseball. The Yankees haven’t lost a game heading into the 9th with a lead this season, and Chapman’s 6 earned runs in 40 innings pitched is a huge part of that. Much like Didi with Jeter, I never thought anyone could follow Mo as Yankees Closer, but Aroldis Chapman has been up to the task.

15.30 K/9 rate is just insane, and it’s second on the team!

Grade: A+

Dellin Betances – It may have taken six months, or so, but Dellin Betances is back to his 2017 All-Star form. The giant has been throwing more fastballs this year, and it’s seemingly made a world of difference. He’s down to a 1.04 WHIP this season compared to his 1.22 last year, which is a big deal for a guy who has trouble holding runners.

Further proof of Betances’ control improving would be his walk rate, which is down to 4.1 from 6.6 per 9 last year, and 2018’s numbers are a bit inflated by Betances’ rough start. He’s had some trouble pitching more than one inning in an outing, but aside from that Dellin Betances has restored my complete faith in his work.

Grade: A

David Robertson – High sock for outs is still a thing. While Todd Frazier is a Met now, and Tommy Kahnle has reverted back to a human being, David Robertson still remains an integral part of the best bullpen in baseball from the Yanks’ trade with the ChiSox last year. D-Rob’s biggest problem this year is that he’s already given up more earned runs in 2018 (15) than all of last year (14). His ERA ballooned during an outing in the Yankees’ first series this year, but he’s still the most trustworthy guy to bring in with runners on the bases.

Grade: B+

Jonathan Holder – The biggest surprise in the bullpen this season has been Jonathan “Young James Gandolfini” Holder. He’s .1 inning away from matching his total from last season (39.1), and his ERA is TOP 3 on the Yankees at 1.85. That’s saying a lot considering he had a 3.89 ERA in 2017, and that wasn’t in high leverage situations. The name “Holder” is perfect for a bullpen pitcher, and I just hope he maintains instead of regresses in the second part of 2018.

Grade: B+

Chad Green – It’s probably impossible for Chad Green to match last season, and he’s had a couple of memorable losses, of which he had zero in 2017. I still have faith in this man as the best middle-reliever on this team. Hopefully his ERA won’t stay nearly a run higher than last year (2.74 vs 1.83), but he’s got a soft second half to hopefully pad those numbers.

Grade: B

Adam Warren – The Yankees best long-reliever. Adam Warren isn’t perfect, but he’s the one guy who can come out of the bullpen, and maintain his stuff for multiple innings consistently. He’s tied with Holder with a 1.85 ERA in his 24.1 innings.

Grade: B

A.J. Cole – Still tough to figure out if A.J. Cole is a fluke, or not, after only 18.2 innings pitched. He hasn’t seen the most intense moments, but it’s hard to deny a guy with a 0.48 ERA. If he keeps this up, he still won’t be as valuable as Holder this season, but I’ll still appreciate the easy innings he gives us Yankee fans.

Grade: B

Chasen Shreve – The lefty who sucks against lefties. The last guy you want to see coming out of the bullpen on this roster, and basically the Tyler Clippard of 2018. He’s already given up 8 homers this year to match his entire total from last season (with 12 less IP), and his ERA is 4.54 this year compared to 3.77 last year. Shreve started stronger than some of the Yankees top arms, so he’s hung around a bit, but I doubt he’s on the Playoff roster.

Grade: D

Giovanny Gallegos – Not much to see in his 20 appearances over the last two years. Just another arm when the AAA shuttle is needed for the big team.

Grade: D

David Hale –Dude pitched in 3 games for NYY this year on two stints with the team, and is now pitching in Korea.

Grade: F

Tommy Kahnle – The biggest let down on this 2018 Yankees team isn’t Sonny Gray, but Tommy Kahnle (or Montgomery’s injury). This guy was throwing 100 mph regularly while K’ing everything that moved last season when he was acquired, and is now unable to reach that velocity in the minors. He only had the chance to pitch in 8 games for the Yankees, so far, in 2018. Hopefully that changes, like his 7.00 ERA.

Grade: F

New York Yankees 2018 1st Half Grades (Infielders/Outfielders)

-JPLS