New York Yankees Young Star Named Player Making 'Biggest Leap' in 2024 Season

The New York Yankees first half ace is viewed as one of the breakout candidates in Major League Baseball.

Jun 26, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil (81) pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees' success this year has been in large part due to their rotation pitching at a high level when Gerrit Cole was out with an injury.

While the past few weeks haven't been promising and have shown flaws on this roster that didn't always look to be there, the 54-32 Yankees are still in a good position heading into the second half.

Perhaps no pitcher in the rotation has been as important as Luis Gil. The 26-year-old bursted onto the scene this season, posting a 3.15 ERA in 85 2/3 innings pitched.

He's struggled a bit in recent outings, allowing 12 earned runs in his last 5 2/3 innings pitched, but that doesn't take away from what he's done throughout the entire campaign.

With how he's thrown, Gil should be well on his way to earning his first All-Star nod, a very impressive accomplishment given who he was entering the year. He's currently the favorite to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award, too.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed one player "making the biggest leap in 2024" for each team, writing that the Dominican Republic native has been just that for New York.

"Even after giving up seven runs in just 1.1 innings of work against the Orioles on June 20, Luis Gil still finds himself at the forefront of the races for both the AL Rookie of the Year and AL Cy Young Award.

"With just seven MLB starts on his resume before this season—none of which came in 2023—his transformation into an ace was hard to see coming. But he has a 9-3 record with a 3.15 ERA and 3.63 FIP over 16 starts this season. He's almost certainly going to be an All-Star."

Diving further into Gil's numbers, it's even more impressive than it may seem. He's also struck out 99 hitters and has a 1.12 WHIP.

Despite the rough starts in recent outings, Gil's advanced numbers don't show any regression coming. He ranks above average or great in xERA, xBA, fastball velocity, whiff%, K%, and offspeed run value, according to Baseball Savant.

Hopefully, for his sake, and the Yankees, Gil will look how he did in most of his outings when he takes the mound on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

With New York being tied for first place in the division now, they'll need the rookie to step up in a big way.