As was to be expected, New York Yankees righty Luis Gil has hit the rookie wall. The playoffs are knocking on the door, which means it’s time to finally have that conversation.
Gil struggled in Monday’s 12-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox and never had full control of his pitches. He gave up four runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in four innings. The two walks put his MLB-leading count at 60.
It’s certainly been a welcome-to-the-big-leagues season for Gil. He joined the rotation in spring training after elbow soreness sidelined ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. He’d hang around for a couple of months, do the best he could, and then go the usual pitching prospect route of bullpen, minors, or trade to another team.
That was the plan, was being the key word. The Yankees didn’t anticipate Luis Gil going 9-1 with a 2.03 ERA through his first 14 starts, showcasing his blazing fastball as a prime strikeout pitch. It helped that he also had a decent slider, and his natural velocity added some oomph to a work-in-progress changeup.
And then, everyone suddenly remembered one key detail. Not only was Gil coming back from Tommy John surgery this season, but he was surging past previous innings caps. Gil pitched 96 innings in the minors in 2019 and 108.2 across the minors and MLB in 2021 before getting hurt.
He has already thrown 121.1 frames this season, and more are on the way. The normally strong Yankees rotation has been shakier than the bridge in Temple of Doom. Not really an ideal position with only six-and-half weeks left in the season.
The front end is the easy part. Gerrit Cole is the ace and, barring another rough stretch, big lefty Carlos Rodon should slot in behind him.
The rest is complicated, and beyond Gil. Clarke Schmidt had a 2.52 ERA in 11 starts before straining his shoulder, and his return is imminent. Nestor Cortes has come back down to earth enough that he’s definitely a bullpen candidate with his 4.42 ERA and inconsistent performance.
However, Marcus Stroman’s 4.01 ERA is a over a full run lower than his FIP. Cortes’ is a bit closer at 4.10, but Stroman is the better groundball pitcher and thus may be a better matchup against MLB’s top bats.
So where does that leave Luis Gil come October? In the rotation? The bullpen? Will he even be on the Yankees’ playoff roster?
Before we reach a conclusion, here’s what we know about 26-year-old Luis Gil so far: He’s a high velocity fastball/slider pitcher who, like plenty before him, is prone to giving up walks. He’s learning the changeup to help decrease them, and he’s actually thrown it more than his slider this year. All in all, he’s a high-potential arm who deserves his shot again next year.
But we also know that Gil got tired earlier in the season and lost his release point, so bad that he posted a 9.37 ERA over four starts. He’s managed a 3.20 mark since then, so it’s just a matter of trusting him to keep it up.
Thus, despite the upside, Luis Gil is probably best suited for the bullpen in the playoffs. Not necessarily automatic high-leverage or mop-up work, but maybe as a piggyback starter of sorts. Such as, Marcus Stroman starts Game 3 of a series and pitches three innings, then Gil comes in for two or three of his own.
Knowing he’ll need to be ready later in a game instead of being thrust right into the adrenaline rush of a start can only help. It lets Gil take in the playoff atmosphere and truly understand why the Yankees are there. He really doesn’t need to start a playoff game unless he pitches like an ace for the rest of season.
Whatever the decision, Gil has already proven he’s up to the task. Forty-two games to go.
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