Domingo German Crashes the Party

Yeah, when we started this season, I was not thinking that the Yankees starter with the most amount of wins by September would be Domingo German. I don't think German was thinking that either.

But, there he is, 17-4, with a 4.21 ERA and 146 strikeouts. Not bad at all, especially for a guy who got chewed out in multiple 2018 starts. Now, he may not the most potent and powerful starter on the Yankees right now (that...quite clearly is James Paxton), or the best innings-eater (that would be Masahiro Tanaka), but he is a strong, dominant starting option, and the kind of pitcher that makes up for the loss of Luis Severino.

However...what happens when Severino comes back, as he will be next week? What happens when the Yankees go into the postseason relying heavily on Severino, Paxton and Tanaka, and then potentially German if they need to? What happens when the guy with the most wins ends up a long-man in a postseason roster? We may find out. Because that's honestly where I think German is on the depth chart, and that may be where we go if Sevvy returns in full force.

Meanwhile, the Yankees' postseason lineup is beginning to straighten out- with Tauchman gone til next year, that final outfield spot is between Clint Frazier and Cameron Maybin, and honestly I think Maybin has the edge. Yes, Stanton's coming back, and they'll probably want him to start games, but...after two aborted seasonal runs by Stanton this year, how sure are we that Stanton's better numbers will be back this year?

Additionally, Edwin Encarnacion was removed earlier today with an oblique strain, so...his status could be in jeopardy. Which means we may have some DH flexibility, which is good for Frazier and Maybin, because then Stanton can just take DH and they can get OF starts. Also, Voit can do games at DH, LeMahieu can do games at first, and so on. This is only if Edwin misses substantial playing time, which is likely but not definite. It is good that we have this kind of flexibility going into a potential playoff run.

Good that we're having this conversation in September about the Yankees. Hope we go further than usual.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the two holdouts from the free agent season that signed mid-year. This is the one that flourished...and it's not the one that any of us thought.