Luis Gil Just Completed A Dominant Month Of May

Luis Gil Just Completed A Dominant Month Of May

Luis Gil was one of the best pitchers in baseball over the month of May. An area the New York Yankees were nervous about two months ago is now an incredible strong suit. When AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole went down with elbow inflammation, some thought a season with major expectations could already be on the ropes. Those concerns are no more thanks in large part to the 25-year-old rookie in Gil. He was originally acquired in a 2018 trade with the Twins for Jake Cave (remember him?). At the time of writing, he has been sensational to start the 2024 MLB season.

Before this season, he only made seven appearances in 2021 and 2022. He then sat out all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. So far, he is absolutely worth the wait and patience that the Yankees invested into him. To put things in perspective, look at what he just did in his six starts through the month of May 2024, per Yankees stat guru Katie Sharp:

Luis Gil in May: 44 K, 0.70 ERA

Gil is the only pitcher in Yankees history with 40+ K and a sub-0.75 ERA in any calendar month.

— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) May 30, 2024

Last night, against the Angels, he capped a historic month with eight innings of one-run ball to lower his ERA on the season to 1.99. Cole is expected to return within the next month or so. When that time comes Aaron Boone will have a big decision on his hands. Do you limit Gil’s innings by moving him to the bullpen to preserve his health for the long term? Or do you show more confidence by leaving him in the rotation and allowing someone like Nestor Cortes to step aside? That is the question that Yankees fans everywhere are considering the answer to. In any case, it’s a great problem to have and a sign of what could be one of the Yanks’ best rotations for the 21st century.

Time For A Pat On The Back

Many, including myself, were distraught when Japanese stud Yoshinobu Yamamoto spurned the Yankees at the eleventh hour to sign with the Dodgers. It left a lot of question marks for a pitching staff that had a nightmarish year in 2023 (apart from Cole of course). Rather than caving in to fan requests to sign someone like Blake Snell to a big-money deal, they pivoted conservatively and smartly. They opted to sign Marcus Stroman to a team-friendly deal. Furthermore, the front office chose to rely on in-house options like Gil and Clarke Schmidt.

So far, that decision has paid off in spades as pitching coach Matt Blake worked his magic. Brian Cashman has yet to make a major blunder for the 2024 season. Instead, he will be under the microscope as the trade deadline moves closer. Late-game bullpen decisions and infield defense has cost the Bronx Bombers some games, no doubt. Regardless, if you asked anyone on the team, 38-19 is probably exactly where they want to be.

Blake Snell Acknowledges The Importance Of Spring Training

Luis Gil just posted one of the best calendar months by a New York Yankees starter ever. His rise has been a treat to watch and all he has to do is stay healthy and continue his dominance.

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