Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Reliver Replacing Ryan Yarbrough on Team USA

This New York Yankees reliever is now heading to the World Baseball Classic.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Feb 28, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Tim Hill (41) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Tim Hill (41) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

The New York Yankees acquired left-handed reliever Tim Hill in the 2024 season and now he's set to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Hill, 36, made his MLB debut for the Kansas City Royals in 2018. He's played on four different teams in his MLB career but now the California native gets to replace his teammate, Ryan Yarbrough, in the WBC.

Hill pitched in 70 games last year for the first time since 2021. He sported a 3.09 ERA, a career low for the eight-year MLB veteran.

In addition to Hill, Detroit Tigers Will Vest and Toronto Blue Jays Tyler Rogers will be joining the squad. These three moves come as Team USA needed to replace Tarik Skubal, Michael Wacha, and Yarbrough.

Tim Hill's Upside

While he may have began his career as a strikeout pitcher, that's no longer the case for Hill. The Yankees reliever had a 13.8 K% last season which was up from the 10.7% her had a year prior, but still placed him in the bottom two percent of the league, according to Baseball Savant.

Keep in mind, Hill had a K% at 21.2 or higher in each of his first four seasons. Ground balls are Hill's bread and butter as he had a 64.2 GB% last year which placed him in the 99 percentile. Other stellar numbers included his Chase% (34.5) which was in the 96 percentile and his 5.9 BB% which placed him in the 85 percentile.

The former 32nd round draft pick relies on three pitches, though it's his sinker that gets the job done. Hill throws his sinker 82.2% of the time and mixes it up with a four-seamer (13.5%) and the occasional cutter (4.3%).

Win or Go Home

With all the drama of Team USA manager Mark DeRosa not knowing the ramifications of their game against Italy, DeRosa is lucky this squad got bailed out as Mexico failed to get the job done.

Now, Hill has an opportunity to represent Team USA as he remains the fourth Yankee on this roster. Team USA is set to take on Canada in the quarter-finals on March 13.

Should Team USA come prevail against their North American rivals, they'll advance to the semifinals on March 15. Hill will remain with the team throughout their journey, whether or not that involves an appearance in the finals on March 17 in Miami, FL.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz is a writer for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated Network. Jordon is an accomplished writer for NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He contributes to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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