The Yankees may have struck gold with high-velocity bullpen arm

The Yankees seem to find quality bullpen arms in the bargain bin on a yearly basis, with Clay Holmes and Ian Hamilton being perfect examples of their success. However, pitching Coach Matt Blank is excited about the prospects of Nick Burdi, a high-velocity bullpen arm who’s dealt with a number of injuries over the past few seasons but has palpable upside.

Now 31 years old, Burdi has only pitched 15.1 innings at the MLB level, hosting a 9.39 ERA. Ultimately, pain and rehabilitation have been the name of the game for Burdi over the past few years, but he’s finally feeling back to his normal self, and changing his arm slot slightly could help decrease the probability of another injury.

The Yankees Are Giving Burdi a Chance at Glory

In fact, the Yankees announced that Burdi made the team on Monday after a stellar spring performance, hosting a 2.45 ERA over 7.1 innings. He recorded an 80% left-on-base rate and a 50% ground ball rate, more than suggesting he’s capable of helping the Yankees this upcoming season.

Burdi’s four-seam fastball, which is his bread-and-butter, averaged 97.6 mph with 2379 RPMs. It produced 13.1 inches of vertical movement and 10.5 inches of arm-side movement, which is incredible at that velocity. In addition, his slider generates great sweeper action and should be a tremendous asset alongside his fastball. He does dabble with a change-up and sinker on occasion, but he’s really a four-seam/slider combination pitcher.