What Do the Yankees Need to Fix Early on in 2025?
The New York Yankees are hovering just above .500 in the early going of the 2025 season, and there are some very good signs, but one clear area that needs improvement is evident when examining their start.
Overall, the Yankees have been more than good enough offensively. They are first in wRC+ with a mark of 140, according to FanGraphs.
They also ranked fifth in on-base percentage, first in slugging, and wOBA. Overall, they are second to the Chicago Cubs in fWAR as well.
Altogether, this suggests that the Yankees are a very strong team and should be a contender this season.
That is true, but some of the concerns come in on the pitching side. That should not come as a surprise given the injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. Marcus Stroman also just went on the injured list after struggling mightily to start the season.
PHOTO: Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images
The Yankees have the sixth-worst ERA (4.67) in all of baseball going into Monday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, according to FanGraphs. But what is the cause of that? New York ranks well in strikeout rate at 27.9 percent, good for the second-best in MLB. The problem comes from walks. The Yankees have walked 12.4 percent of batters so far this season, the most in MLB. Simply put, that has to change.
Consistently walking batters creates many opportunities for opposing lineups to put runs on the board. Given the fact that the Yankees have turned to pitchers like Stroman and Carlos Carrasco as a result of their injuries this season, it is not a huge surprise that they have struggled with walks. If those two leave mistakes in the zone, their pitches are very punishable. Some pitchers in the bullpen have a track record of struggling with control as well.
Luckily, the Yankees are getting Schmidt back on Wednesday, so that should be somewhat of a boost. Gil is on his way back as well, but he notably struggled with command even when he was successful in 2024. Ultimately, the Yankees might have to make a trade for a starter at some point during the season.
Luckily, there is some reason to believe that the Yankees’ pitching staff should see some improvement moving forward. They rank 19th in FIP (4.06), but their xFIP (3.71) ranks 11th and indicates bad luck, as does their SIERA (3.58).
Carlos Rodon is perhaps the best example of a player who should see better results. He has a 5.48 ERA on the season, but his xERA (3.22), xFIP (3.50), and SIERA (3.56) all indicate significant bad luck. Rodon is striking out 30.1 percent of batters so far this season, and that is a recipe for success. Home runs have been and to some extent always been a problem for Rodon, but everything points to him improving and having a solid season.
Those are not world-beating numbers, but paired with what appears to be a strong lineup, the Yankees should be in good enough shape to contend in the American League.
PHOTO: Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images
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