The New York Yankees have made another trade with the Colorado Rockies. New York acquired RHP Angel Chivilli from the Rockies for minor leaguer TJ Rumfield. The Yankees’ bullpen was awful last season, and Chivilli could provide the team with upside in the middle of the bullpen.
At just 23, Chivilli could find his stride working with Pitching Coach Matt Blake in the Bronx. When you look at his stats, they aren’t that impressive, but the underlying metrics are much better. Last year with the Colorado Rockies, he had a 7.06 ERA and 1.69 WHIP, but he has an excellent changeup.
Chivilli Can Be Really Good
Chivilli throws a 97 miles per hour fastball that can get up to 99 miles per hour. Although the velocity is high, his fastball has little to no movement, which is one of the biggest things he’ll have to improve on. He gave up lots of contact on his 4-seamer (.573 xSLG) last season. His changeup had over a 40 percent whiff rate, and opposing batters hit .225 against it.
There are a ton of things to like about him. He gets a ton of ground balls, with a 49.8% ground-ball rate, which ranked in the 84th percentile. While he didn’t generate many swings and misses, he had a 29.7% whiff rate, which was in the 80th percentile. The most important stat is that both of his off-speed pitches had whiff rates of 42%+.
Where Does He Fit In the Bullpen?
He’ll likely be pitching early on in games and kept out of high-leverage situations until Aaron Boone feels comfortable using him. He will be a name to watch throughout Spring Training, and how Blake works with him. I don’t expect him to dominate opposing batters immediately, as he will likely experiment with different pitch grips and arm angles to see what works.
Blake is going to put a ton of emphasis on increasing the usage of his changeup, making it his primary pitch instead of the four-seam fastball. Both the changeup and slider need to be used more often, which will only make his fastball more and more effective. If he can hone in on improving both of those pitches, it will be impossible for hitters to keep pace with it, along with a 99 miles per hour fastball sitting in his pocket.
The Yankees Need More
While Chivilli is a nice addition, the Yankees need to add at least one more arm to the bullpen. Another high-end left-hander is exactly what they’re missing to pair alongside Tim Hill. Now, there are scenarios where the Yankees’ bullpen can get even stronger without adding another arm via trade or free agency. When the rotation is fully healthy, it could push multiple players into the bullpen.
Ryan Weathers is a top option to leave the rotation when Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon return from injury. Moving Weathers to the bullpen would give New York another high-leverage arm in the back end of the bullpen that can get swings and misses; something that Brian Cashman has emphasized in recent years. With just a couple of weeks until Spring Training, we will soon see if the Yankees do, in fact, make more moves.
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