Yankees 2021 Season Thread

[bkzwhitestrican]

Otto was a solid prospect. Good stuff, but super long injury history. He could be good, but let's see if he can stay healthy.

[moonslav59]

Otto was a solid prospect. Good stuff, but super long injury history. He could be good, but let's see if he can stay healthy.

 

You could say that about half the Yankee team, and didn't we hear this about Whitlock, too?

[bkzwhitestrican]

Whitlock was coming off an injury but did not have a long history as far as I can remember. Yanks thought they could sneak him through the rule 5 draft but obviously wasn't the case.

 

And if after one start we're gonna annoint Otto the next great pitcher the Yanks missed out on, then is Gil the second coming of Nolan Ryan?

[moonslav59]

We're just saying you may have given up more than you all tried to downplay it.

 

Your farm got worse, this summer.

 

Ours got better.

 

The tides are turning.

[bkzwhitestrican]

The thing with tides is that they change quickly. Who knows how the farm systems will look this time next season. And when your big league team is good you're supposed to use your farm to supplement it, either by promotions or trades. Anyway I feel like we're both saying nothing at this point and I've had too many drinks to continue typing on my phone. Cheers mate!

[moonslav59]

The thing with tides is that they change quickly. Who knows how the farm systems will look this time next season. And when your big league team is good you're supposed to use your farm to supplement it, either by promotions or trades. Anyway I feel like we're both saying nothing at this point and I've had too many drinks to continue typing on my phone. Cheers mate!

 

Enjoy the streak.

 

Too early to peak.

 

Yank fans are never meek.

 

Go take a leak.

[jacksonianmarch]

25-4 in last 29.

[Bellhorn04]

There's no such thing as 'peaking too early'.

[moonslav59]

There's no such thing as 'peaking too early'.

 

While I agree, will the Yanks go 13-0 or 25-4 in their next few games?

[Bellhorn04]

While I agree, will the Yanks go 13-0 or 25-4 in their next few games?

 

I predicted 25-12 in their last 37, in my disappointingly ignored poll thread (except for you and Kimmi). So I need 22-12 to be right.

[moonslav59]

I predicted 25-12 in their last 37, in my disappointingly ignored poll thread (except for you and Kimmi). So I need 22-12 to be right.

 

Your need to be right outweighs your Yankee hatred?

[Fan_since_Boggs]

It sounds like Otto has two plus pitches: a 4-seamer and an outstanding curveball. He doesn't have a great third pitch, but with two plus pitches in his arsenal, his third pitch can have negative value.

 

Glenn Otto has become one of the top pitchers in the New York Yankees farm system, going from #45 on our top 50 Yankees prospects to #23 in a matter of months. The right handed starter was promoted to Triple-A on July 13th, 2021 after he terrorized batters in the Double-A Northeast League this season. With a league leading 103 strikeouts in 65.1 innings and a 3.17 ERA, he held opponents to a .197 batting average and owned a whopping 7.36 K/9 ratio in Double-A.

 

A fifth round pick in 2017 out of Rice University, Otto dealt with injuries through his first few years in the Yankees system, missing almost all of 2018 due to a blood clot and a portion of 2019 with a rib cage injury.

 

Otto’s 14 walks through 10 starts are less than half the walks he allowed in the same time span in 2019. He credits that to some adjustments he made in his delivery during the spring. Explaining his changes, Otto said that he made “just a little change in posture that helps me stay more in a straight line towards my target and helps me initiate momentum down the slope… just keeping everything balanced and in line throughout the rest of the delivery and not overthinking it… that’s been huge.”

 

In 2021, Otto has improved his strikeout rate: increasing from 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) prior to this season to 14.19 K/9 this year. He has struck out at least ten batters in five of his ten starts this season, including two 14 strikeouts performances. In July, Otto became the first pitcher in Double-A to reach the 100 strikeout mark on the season.

 

The 25-year old’s repertoire features a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. He primarily sticks with the fastball-curveball combo. His fastball has reached 96 MPH, and occasionally has some late life to it. It spins slowly, and often fools hitters due to the spin being slow but the ball counterintuitively moving fast. “I try to get as much ride on my fastball as I can, but still be able to command it and get ahead with it,” Otto said.

 

The curveball has been an extremely important pitch in Otto’s repertoire as well. “I feel like I can go to it whenever I need to,” he explained. “It’s nice to get deep in the count and still go to a pitch that I feel I have an advantage with when they might be expecting something different.”

 

When Yankees first baseman Luke Voit made a rehab appearance for the Somerset Patriots, he told the media in a pre-game interview “I was really impressed with Otto, I think he’s got big league stuff… his swing and miss was great, (and) his ability to pitch up in the zone and his (curveball) was great.”

https://www.prospects1500.com/al-east/yankees/yankees-glenn-otto-having-a-breakout-season/

[jacksonianmarch]

Otto’s issue isn’t stuff. He cannot stay healthy. Also, he’s like a Tanner Houck. He’s destined for the pen without a third pitch

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Otto’s issue isn’t stuff. He cannot stay healthy. Also, he’s like a Tanner Houck. He’s destined for the pen without a third pitch

 

Houck throws a 4-seamer, 2-seamer (sinker), and a slider. Isn't that three pitches? He also throws a splitter, though only 5% of the time. His 2-seamer and slider are plus pitches; his 4-seamer is an average offering, maybe below average, but how many starters have more than two plus pitches? Very few. Pedro had at least three plus pitches, maybe 4, but that was Pedro.

 

Otto has two plus pitches and that is pretty impressive. He needs to use a third pitch, but expecting that third pitch to be a plus pitch is unrealistic--very few MLB pitchers have 3 plus pitches.

[moonslav59]

Houck throws a 4-seamer, 2-seamer (sinker), and a slider. Isn't that three pitches? He also throws a splitter, though only 5% of the time. His 2-seamer and slider are plus pitches; his 4-seamer is an average offering, maybe below average, but how many starters have more than two plus pitches? Very few. Pedro had at least three plus pitches, maybe 4, but that was Pedro.

 

Otto has two plus pitches and that is pretty impressive. He needs to use a third pitch, but expecting that third pitch to be a plus pitch is unrealistic--very few MLB pitchers have 3 plus pitches.

 

I think it depends on how different the 4 seamer looks from the 2 seamer.

[jacksonianmarch]

I think it depends on how different the 4 seamer looks from the 2 seamer.

 

It’s more about the change in speed and movement.

 

Every pitcher has a two seamer. It’s thrown the exact same way as a four seamer, you just shift the grip to with the seams instead of across the seams. Since a two seamer is thrown identical to a 4 seam fastball, it’s not really another pitch unless the pitcher pronates their hand deliberately at point of release. That’s when it acts like a different pitch. It’s typically slower with a dramatic increase in arm side run and drop.

[moonslav59]

It’s more about the change in speed and movement.

 

Every pitcher has a two seamer. It’s thrown the exact same way as a four seamer, you just shift the grip to with the seams instead of across the seams. Since a two seamer is thrown identical to a 4 seam fastball, it’s not really another pitch unless the pitcher pronates their hand deliberately at point of release. That’s when it acts like a different pitch. It’s typically slower with a dramatic increase in arm side run and drop.

 

Would it still be called a fastball with significant pronation?

[jacksonianmarch]

Would it still be called a fastball with significant pronation?

 

It’s called a sinker at that point

[jacksonianmarch]

Too long of a leash here. Kluber only able to go 75 pitches max. Guy was nails for 3 innings. Clearly lost command in the zone in the 4th. Plan was to piggy back Heaney with Kluber. Never should have faced Mayfield

[bkzwhitestrican]

After 3 straight hits and already having thrown 50 pitches, I don't know why nobody was warming up. Especially when Boone himself said Kluber had about a 60-70 pitch limit. Next guy nearly hit it out to dead center but was caught at the track. Still nobody warming up after that. Walks the next guy. Still nobody warming up. Grand slam on the very next pitch. Bad management there by Boone when it was clear Kluber was gassed.

[jacksonianmarch]

After 3 straight hits and already having thrown 50 pitches, I don't know why nobody was warming up. Especially when Boone himself said Kluber had about a 60-70 pitch limit. Next guy nearly hit it out to dead center but was caught at the track. Still nobody warming up after that. Walks the next guy. Still nobody warming up. Grand slam on the very next pitch. Bad management there by Boone when it was clear Kluber was gassed.

 

Exactly

[jacksonianmarch]

Yankees entire pitching staff looks gassed at this point. 35 games in 36 days finishing on the west coast culminates after tomorrow. Need to take tonight to tie the series with Cole going tomorrow.

[jacksonianmarch]

If you’re thinking of pulling a struggling starter with the sacks packed, you probably should just do it and not let him allow the runs in. Wtf. This isn’t Gerritt Cole.

[moonslav59]

Just when hopes were rising on Taillon improving and Kluber returning, poof

[jacksonianmarch]

Cortes was decent and lost

Montgomery was dominant and we lost

Kluber ran out of gas

Taillon has nothing tonight

 

You win 13 in a row and the comeuppance is eventually due. How’s you guys do today?

[bkzwhitestrican]

Probably need to skip Taillon's next start. He's at 127 innings pitched coming off of TJS, and it seems to be showing lately.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Also Yanks have hit into 5 DPs through 7 innings. Just feels like one of those games where nothing goes right.

[moonslav59]

Cortes was decent and lost

Montgomery was dominant and we lost

Kluber ran out of gas

Taillon has nothing tonight

 

You win 13 in a row and the comeuppance is eventually due. How’s you guys do today?

 

We sucked... again.

[jacksonianmarch]

Probably need to skip Taillon's next start. He's at 127 innings pitched coming off of TJS, and it seems to be showing lately.

 

My thoughts exactly. We need him if we make a run in the POs. Last two starts his breaking balls have been massacred. Bring Gil back up for his next start or phantom IL him and give him a breather

[Bellhorn04]

Cortes was decent and lost

Montgomery was dominant and we lost

Kluber ran out of gas

Taillon has nothing tonight

 

You win 13 in a row and the comeuppance is eventually due. How’s you guys do today?

 

How's that Gallo trade lookin'?

 

The guy is a human wind turbine. 51 K's and 15 hits in 129 PA's as a Yankee. Remarkable numbers.

 

He does bat left, though.