Breaking Down the New York Yankees' 2024 Starting Rotation Ahead of Opening Day
The New York Yankees will have to weather the storm with Gerrit Cole out, leaning on Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodón and other volatile starters to prop up the rotation.
The 2024 MLB regular season is about to begin, and that means it's time for every club to lock down its top five starting pitchers.
The New York Yankees were widely expected to net at least one high-end starting pitcher this winter, but they let Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, Dylan Cease, Jordan Montgomery, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga all go elsewhere. Now, with reigning AL Cy Young winner Geritt Cole injured, manager Aaron Boone is depending on some bounce-back seasons from a handful of former All-Stars.
Here is a quick preview of how New York's starting pitching will look in 2024:
1. Nestor Cortes, LHP
2023 Stats: 5-2, 4.97 ERA, 1.247 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 0.5 WAR
2024 Projections: 9-8, 4.17 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 1.8 WAR
Cortes enjoyed a breakout season in 2021, then an All-Star campaign in 2022. His 2023 was a major step back, though, as he was only able to make 12 starts due to multiple injuries. With Cole out, Cortes moved up in the rotation and now has even more pressure to return to form in 2024.
2. Carlos Rodón, LHP
2023 Stats: 3-8, 6.85 ERA, 1.446 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, -0.8 WAR
2024 Projections: 11-9, 3.77 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 3.1 WAR
Rodón had an even steeper drop off than Cortes in 2023, right after New York gave the two-time All-Star a $162 million contract. The 31-year-old lefty does look healthy entering 2024, and it would be a welcome sight for Yankees fans if he came anywhere near the sub-3.00 ERAs he put up with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants in 2021 and 2022.
3. Marcus Stroman, RHP
2023 Stats: 10-9, 3.95 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 1.6 WAR (CHC)
2024 Projections: 11-9, 4.02 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.2 WAR
Stroman is the lone newcomer to the Yankees' rotation, and he is fresh off an All-Star season with the Chicago Cubs. Considering his ERA has been below 4.00 in seven of his nine MLB seasons, the 32-year-old righty could provide some much-needed stability in the Bronx.
4. Clarke Schmidt, RHP
2023 Stats: 9-9, 4.64 ERA, 1.352 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 0.7 WAR
2024 Projections: 10-10, 4.37 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 1.6 WAR
The Yankees didn't get incredible production from Schmidt in 2023, but his 159.0 innings were definitely a welcome sight on an otherwise thin pitching staff. Now entering his second season as a starter, Schmidt seems primed to replicate that reliability in the bottom half of the rotation.
5. Luis Gil, RHP
2021 Stats: 1-1, 3.07 ERA, 1.330 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, 0.8 WAR
2024 Projections: 7-6, 4.30 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 0.9 WAR
Gil was once one of New York's top prospects, and his first taste of MLB action back in 2021 was more than impressive. He missed virtually all of the next two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, though, and he likely would have started 2024 in the minors if it weren't for Cole's injury.
Of course, Cole would have been the Yankees' ace had he not gone down with an elbow injury this spring. He will head things up when he does come back, which might not be until May or June.
All 2024 projections are compiled using FanGraphs' Steamer model.
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