Yankees 2022 Roster Report Cards: Misc. Pitchers

Dec 8, 2022 - 6:00 PM

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As much as we’d all like, a team cannot field a rotation full of aces and a bullpen full of top-notch closers. Often it’s the teams that do the best around the margins that can find those few extra wins here or there and make the difference between making the playoffs and not.

The Yankees were one of the better teams at extracting contributions out of those fringy depth players, and today we’ll be looking at the pitchers who stepped up when their numbers were called. For the sake of brevity, we will be limiting the scope to the miscellaneous pitchers who threw at least four innings for the Yankees in 2022: Luis Gil, Chi Chi González, Manny Bañuelos, Ryan Weber, and JP Sears.

Overall Grade: I

Luis Gil

2022 Statistics: 1 game, 4.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 2.11 FIP, 3.22 xFIP, 11.3 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 0.2 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Expected to start season rehabbing in the low minors

On the heels of an electrifying MLB debut season, Yankees fans were understandably excited for what the flame-throwing youngster would offer in his sophomore season. Unfortunately, it was over almost before it began. Gil made a lone spot start in the majors in which he yielded four runs on five hits in four innings against the White Sox and was optioned back to Triple-A where he exited a mid-May start and it was revealed shortly after that he required Tommy John surgery, ending his campaign and likely a solid chunk of 2023 as well.

Chi Chi González

2022 Statistics: 1 game, 4.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 5.98 xFIP, 5.8 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, 0.1 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Designated for assignment — elected free agency

In the midst of a minor late-season injury crisis in the pitching staff, the Yankees signed a handful of players to minor-league deals, creating a temporary reservoir of depth to call upon for a major league spot start. That’s exactly what González — already playing for his third team in 2022 — provided the Yankees as they played out the stretch prior to the ALDS, going 4.2 innings against the Orioles holding them to a run on four hits. He was promptly designated for assignment following the start and elected free agency over a minor league assignment.

Ryan Weber

2022 Statistics: 5 games, 10.2 IP, 0.84 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 3.80 xFIP, 2.5 K/9, 0.8 BB/9, 0 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Designated for assignment — elected free agency

Weber was a perfect example of the the shuttling experience that many Quad-A players face throughout their careers. His contract was selected to the major league team and subsequently designated for assignment four times. He pitched better than anyone could have expected, allowing one run across five relief appearances totaling 10.2 innings, and like Bañuelos picked up his first big league save by tossing the final three innings of a winning effort. After his fourth and final DFA, he elected free agency and unlike the other instances did not re-sign with the Yankees on a minor league deal.

Manny Bañuelos

2022 Statistics: 4 games, 8.1 IP, 2.16 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 3.34 xFIP, 8.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.1 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Designated for assignment and traded to Pirates for cash considerations — became free agent at end of season

The long-awaited Yankees debut for Bañuelos finally came 14 years after he was signed by the organization as an international free agent. The last remaining of the Killer B’s active in the league, Bañuelos made four relief appearances for the Yankees totaling 8.1 innings. The pick of the bunch came against the Cubs, when he tossed the final three innings to collect his first major league save. Sadly, he found himself the victim of a roster crunch, and was traded to the Pirates to clear a roster spot for JP Sears.

JP Sears

2022 Statistics: 8 games (2 starts), 22 IP, 2.05 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 4.38 xFIP, 6.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 0.4 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Traded alongside Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, and Cooper Bowman to the A’s for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino.

Sears was easily the most impactful depth pitcher for the Yankees. He tossed a scoreless inning of relief against the Blue Jays on his major league debut. Three days later, he collected his first win after tossing a scoreless inning of relief against the Orioles and was credited as the pitcher of record. He had to wait over a month in the minors for his next big league opportunity, but he made the most of it, logging five scoreless innings in his first big league start to again win against the Orioles.

A month later he turned in his best performance in pinstripes — a 5.2 inning scoreless start against the A’s in which he allowed just four baserunners. That was the last start he would make for the Yankees, as his next three appearances were all in multi-inning relief roles. New York cashed in on this newly-elevated value, including him in the package that netted Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino from Oakland at the deadline.