Despite myriad injuries, the New York Yankees are off to a respectable 13-10 start. The Yankees entered Wednesday having already lost more than 300 days to the injured list -- a remarkable number given just four other teams had exceeded 200 days lost. The Yankees are without multiple MVP-caliber hitters, their ace, and their top setup man, but no matter what they'll head into Thursday with sole possession of second place in the American League East. That's a feat, one owed in large part to some stand-ins who have exceeded expectations.
Take right-hander starter Domingo German, who on Tuesday mowed down the Los Angeles Angels. On the season, he now has a 1.75 ERA and 3.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25 2/3 innings. (For comparison, Tyler Glasnow, the much-discussed Tampa Bay Rays right-hander, has a 1.53 ERA and 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 1/3 innings.) German has succeeded in part because of his curveball. Though he's thrown the pitch more than a third of the time, it continues to miss bats at an absurd clip: batters have whiffed on exactly half their swings against it.
Of course, German has other pitches at his disposal, too. He has a low-to-mid-90s fastball that ranks in the 94th percentile in spin rate, an upper-80s changeup, and a sinker. Both the four-seamer and the changeup have generated whiffs on at least a fifth of their swings against, while the sinker has proven to be an effective groundball generator.
Were Luis Severino healthy, German would likely be in the bullpen or Triple-A. New York would prefer a hearty and hale Severino, no question, but if he's going to miss time then getting an extended look at German is a small silver lining -- especially if he continues to pitch as he has this season, thereby proving he's fit enough for a long-term spot in the rotation.
German isn't the only Yankees stand-in making good on his chance, either. Outfielder Mike Tauchman, acquired in a small deal in late March, has a 120 OPS+ in 49 plate appearances on the strength of his quality of contact (seven of his nine hits have gone for extra bases) and disciplined approach (14.3 walk percentage). He could slot in as a fine fourth outfielder when the Yankees get healthy. Meanwhile, infielder Gio Urshela has always displayed a wicked glove at the hot corner. He probably won't maintain his current batting average (.282) or on-base percentage (.356), but if he does that's probably enough for him to start for some other team.
Obviously no team wants to suffer injuries, especially to their best players. But consider this group of Yankees evidence that sometimes there are positives -- even if only in the short run -- to be found in otherwise undesirable outcomes.
