We’ve somehow made it a third of the way through the regular season already. The MLB Draft is next week, and the All-Star game will be here before you know it. The end of May signals that it is time for another Brian Cashman approval poll. This year’s poll started in January. Yankees fans loved how the offseason was going at that point, with Cashman receiving a 95% approval rating. Interestingly, that number held steady in April, coming in at 95% once again. Will Pinstripe Alley readers feel differently now that two months are in the books?
The Yankees got off to a fantastic start in May, winning eight straight games. Although they haven’t had an extended winning streak since, they will finish the month with just one series loss (Rangers). They also have a 17-7 record (for the month) going into tonight’s game against the Orioles. Not too shabby.
May has been good to the Yankees for a number of reasons. For one thing, Gleyber Torres is hitting .321/.379/.667 with nine home runs and exceeding all expectations. Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner have somewhat heated up, and Greg Bird finally returned from the disabled list. Pitching wise, Luis Severino just keeps getting better and better.
On the other hand, this month shined a spotlight on some of the Yankees’ weaknesses, the biggest of which is starting pitching. Jordan Montgomery went down with a flexor tendon strain on May 1st. Domingo German replaced Monty in the rotation, but has had mixed results. After tossing six no-hit innings during his first career start, German was tagged for 15 earned runs over his last three starts. To make matters worse, Sonny Gray surrendered five earned runs during half of his starts in May.
The rotation as a whole struggled to make it deep into games. Yankee starters not named Severino only made it through six full innings six times this entire month. That places a heavy burden on the bullpen, and explains why the Yankees will likely carry 13 pitchers all season long.
Many Yankees fans were upset to hear that Ronald Torreyes was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Greg Bird. The news also had a negative impact on the clubhouse. However, Cashman explained that he ultimately made that decision because of the Yankees’ pitching situation.
“I feel some of the starters we have, we’re not getting necessarily – or should expect to get – the length that you’d like to get,” Cashman said. “It’s best to protect the staff with 13 pitchers even though I’d prefer to be at 12. I’d also prefer whatever we have stays healthy.”
The Yankees need pitching help, and Cashman knows it. They’re making the best of what they have at the moment, but it’s a long season. This rotation is another injury away from a total disaster. You have to think that Cashman is going to make a trade for a starting pitcher happen before the deadline. After all, you can never have too much pitching.
What do you think of the job Cashman is doing as GM? Is anyone upset with him over the Torreyes move? Will your opinion change if he doesn’t do something to improve the rotation? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to vote in the poll below.