Luis Gil Continues to Shine as Yankee Rising Star

The loss of the 2023 Cy Young Award winner, Gerrit Cole, presented a sizeable problem for the New York Yankees, but 25-year-old Luis Gil has firmly positioned himself as a ‘problem solver.’

Gil was slotted as the fifth man in the starting rotation before the season began and has made the most of the opportunity. He continued to shine on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing six shutout innings on the way to a 10-6 win at Tropicana Field. After this start, he became the first Yankee to throw at least six innings and allow one run or fewer in at least three straight starts since Cole in 2022.

“Hitters tell you a lot, and they’re overwhelmed a lot by his stuff,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Even when they get a good swing off, they’re not quite able usually to clip it. That’s a testament to, whether it’s deception, velocity, spin, whatever it may be, hitters tell you that thing’s getting on you.”

Control was a slight issue for Gil at the beginning of the matchup in Tampa. He initially walked two batters over two innings and didn’t walk away unscathed, as he suffered a comebacker to his shin in the third inning. He eventually settled in, retiring 13 of the final 15 batters he faced, allowing only three hits all day. His three strikeouts were the fewest of any start this season, but they were impressive nonetheless  — two on 98 mph fastballs and one on a 93.6 mph changeup to Randy Arozarena.

Luis Gil’s worst start of the season so far came against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 26th, where he allowed five earned runs over five innings. Since then, Gil has only given up one run over his last 18.1 innings.

With still a lot of the season left to go, Gil has put up impressive numbers; especially for a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Looking Forward: A Difficult Decision

Gil’s performance thus far has raised a key question. When Gerrit Cole returns to the mound, which Yankees starter will be pushed back to the bullpen?

The Dominican-born right-hander was initially seen as a short-term solution, returning from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for over a year and prompted an innings limit this season. After the first month though, he has made a case to become a mainstay in the starting rotation.

Overall the starting rotation has stepped up in Cole’s absence. The Yankees have the second-lowest ERA among MLB teams at 3.10 (trailing the Red Sox with 2.75). The highest ERA among Yankee starters is owned by Nestor Cortes, with a respectable 4.02.

Cortes is also returning from an injury-riddled 2023 campaign and has shown flashes of success; hinting to his still very prevalent middle-of-rotation ability. After an All-Star season in 2022, Nestor has shown that he has the ability to carry the load required to be a starting pitcher in the Bronx. He will need to put together more solid outings if he doesn’t want to potentially lose his spot on the depth chart.

Clarke Schmidt is having a solid season. He’s been almost masterful through the first five innings of every start before eventually unraveling during the opposing team’s third time through the order. Even with these struggles, Schmidt has posted a 2.95 ERA over 42.2 innings pitched and appears to be a long-term investment as a starting pitcher; as evidenced by his constant run as starter through 2023. He was previously utilized primarily as a reliever from 2020-2022.

Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman are both viewed as rotation mainstays simply due to the money invested in their contracts and their performance backs this up; posting an ERA of 3.56 and 3.80 respectively.

This is a good problem to have for the Yankees organization. There’s simply too much talent in their current five-man rotation. What makes it an even better problem is that the health of each pitcher has held up to this point. It will be interesting to see what decisions are made once Gerrit Cole returns.