Inside The Pinstripes

Bottom of Yankees' Starting Rotation Paving Way to New York's Hot Start

Led by Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon, the back end of New York's rotation has been dominant to start this season.

Max Goodman

In this story:

During spring training, question marks were prevalent in any conversation regarding the Yankees' starting rotation.

Will Luis Severino return to form in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery? Can Gerrit Cole be the ace New York needs after an uncharacteristic finish to last year's campaign? Did general manager Brian Cashman make a mistake not adding to the Yankees' starting staff this offseason?

While Cole and Severino have both shown flashes atop the rotation thus far, it's been the three-headed monster of Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery leading the way through the first month of the regular season. 

Five trips through the starting staff, Cortes has been New York's best starter (and one of the best in all of baseball). The funky left-hander has a 1.82 ERA over 24.2 innings pitched, recording 31 strikeouts to go along with his 0.7 fWAR. 

Taillon and Montgomery have the second- and third-best numbers within this five-man staff, respectively. Both veterans have posted a sub-three ERA—Taillon hasn't allowed more than two runs in any start while Montgomery has settled into a groove since his injury scare against the Red Sox in his first outing of the year.

At a certain point, the "it's too early to jump to any conclusions" argument won't be applicable to this rotation anymore. Cortes is proving last year's breakout performance wasn't a fluke, Taillon is showing he can be reliable after years of injuries and Montgomery is looking like the top-of-the-line southpaw this organization has been hoping for since his elbow surgery in 2018.

Even with Cole and Severino still searching for their dominant stuff—Cole has been brilliant his last two starts—New York has the fourth-best rotation ERA in baseball (2.85). Only the Dodgers (1.90), Diamondbacks (2.54) and Mets (2.77) have been better starting games this season, entering play on Thursday. 

Mix a strong bottom of the rotation with New York's spectacular bullpen and an offense that's hitting its stride in recent weeks and it's no surprise the Yankees have MLB's best record through 25 games (18-7).

In other words, when you wonder why right-hander Michael King has been relegated to the bullpen despite his historic start to the season—or why young arms like Clarke Schmidt are in Triple-A—it's because this staff currently has no holes. That may change as this season progresses, but for now, this team is enjoying the ride. 

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News