Imaging if Chasen Shreve Remembers How to Pitch in 2016

The New York Yankees bullpen has undergone a bit of a makeover from the 2015 season to the 2016 season and here it is only mid-January. A lot can change between now and April just like a lot has changed from today since the Wild Card game against the Houston Astros. Adam Warren is gone and so is Justin Wilson while Aroldis Chapman is in and so is a laundry list of prospects headed by Jacob Lindgren, Nick Goody, Nick Rumbelow and James Pazos looking to fill the void. We keep hearing the names of the big three at the back end of the bullpen and the names of Bryan Mitchell and Ivan Nova essentially replacing Warren and his role but what about Chasen Shreve? What if Shreve actually remembers how to pitch well in 2016?

Shreve was an absolute monster for the Yankees in the first half of 2015 before falling off drastically in the second half. Looking at things in a simplistic view and on paper alone you would think that fatigue would not be a factor. Shreve was a starter in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves before the trade and had thrown 70.0 innings in 2011 before throwing just 58.1 innings in 2015. This innings count means little when you actually watch what Shreve was doing out there though as all signs of his downfall pointed to fatigue. His arm angle changed a bit when it never used to and so did his release point. Shreve was seen overthrowing the ball at one point and under-throwing the ball at another. That’s not mechanical, that’s fatigue.

So if Shreve can remember to pitch like he did in the first half of the 2015 season the Yankees will add a fourth dominant relief pitcher to their stable of bullpen arms. Instead of turning these games into a five or six inning game for the starters, remember Dellin Betances can easily go multiple innings three or four times a week, the Yankees may be able to turn it into a four or five inning game. Anything else is gravy.

So while everyone is up in arms about the Yankees having three guys capable of 100 strikeouts in a single season I’m over here wondering about “The Forgotten One” Jacob Lindgren and the “All of a sudden underrated one” Chasen Shreve.