Over the years, the Yankees have proved to have some of the most dominant bullpens in the American League. Headlined by household names like Mariano Rivera, Aroldis Chapman and David Robertson, they have never been a team that hitters look forward to the end of the game. 2023 is probably going to be no different because of men like Ron Marinaccio holding down the latter parts of games. After watching his 2022 performance, Yankee fans should be excited about Marinaccio’s future.
Throughout his debut year, he pitched at a level that only the most dominant relief pitchers can attain. With a four-pitch mix where everything moves, it’s hard not to see why he experienced the success that he did in 2022. He posted a 2.05 ERA with a minuscule .149 batting average against him. Not only were those numbers impressive, but he also got an insane amount of swings and misses, which allowed him to pitch to the tune of 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
His preferred weapon of choice in advantage counts (e.g. 1-2) is his incredible circle change up, which has left many hitters scratching their heads. To be truly dominant, a pitcher needs a pitch that completely baffles opposing lineups, and that is the pitch that falls into that category.
While there have been many pitchers that come to the MLB for their debut year and dominate, but then get shelled the rest of their careers. While there’s always that possibility for someone like Marinaccio, his pitch mix and veteran-like confidence certainly should take him far. In today’s age of flamethrowers just throwing the ball as fast as they can, Marinaccio breaks that mold.
He is a breath of fresh air in an era where velocity is everything to scouts. While he is no slouch when it comes to fastball velocity, with a mid to high 90s heater, he doesn’t rely on it. There is a difference between a “thrower” and a “pitcher”, and Marinaccio is part of the latter. Some critics have compared his pitch usage to the legendary right-hander, Pedro Martinez.
Martinez would often work his change-up off of his fastball, essentially leaving the hitter guessing on the velocity the entire at-bat. Marinaccio works in a very similar manner, keeping a hitter off-balance is key to getting them out. While he is nowhere close to attaining the status of Martinez, the groundwork and potential is there for him.
While the Yankees’ bullpen is getting more stacked by the day, it is important for them to keep a variety of different arms at the ready. Ron Marinaccio provides a dynamic that some of the Yankees’ pitching just simply does have, multiple ways to get outs. While all of them have an out-pitch that they can rely on to get a swing and miss in a pinch, Marinaccio has two. He can safely go to either his fastball or change up at any given time.
He provides a way out for the Yankees in difficult situations, and is someone that manager, Aaron Boone, can look to for a quick inning late in the game. With experience, he is only going to get better, which is why it is important for Boone to look to him in a variety of scenarios. He performed very well in almost every situation that he was put in throughout the 2022 season, and fans are looking forward to what he can do in 2023.
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Statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com
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