Inside pitching tweak that made Yarbrough Yankees’ unlikely rotation hero

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NEW YORK — Ryan Yarbrough has always been a different kind of pitcher. With a deceptive delivery, a kitchen-sink arsenal, and a fastball that rarely touches 90 mph, the left-hander has built a career on frustrating hitters in unconventional ways. But since joining the New York Yankees and stepping into the starting rotation, Yarbrough has turned quirky into dominant — and he credits much of that transformation to a familiar voice in the Yankees’ bullpen.

The 33-year-old southpaw, once a regular antagonist as a member of the Rays, has been nothing short of a revelation since May 3. Through five starts, Ryan Yarbrough boasts a 2.08 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 26 innings, helping stabilize a Yankees rotation that desperately needed consistency after the Carlos Carrasco experiment failed. His overall Yankees contribution stands at 2.83 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 41.1 innings with 5 starts and 3 finished games.

“It’s been fun watching him toe the slab for us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s different than anything hitters are used to facing.”

A changeup that changed everything

Yarbrough’s resurgence didn’t begin in New York. It began during spring training — with the Toronto Blue Jays.

There, bullpen coach Graham Johnson, formerly with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, identified potential in Yarbrough’s changeup. Johnson, familiar with the Yankees’ pitching philosophy, started working with the veteran on grip tweaks designed to add depth and deception.

Those ideas followed Yarbrough when he opted out of his minor-league deal with the Blue Jays and signed a $2 million deal with the Yankees just before Opening Day. By the time he joined the team for an exhibition game in Miami, the Yankees’ coaching staff had already begun to map out a plan to build off Johnson’s foundation.

“We obviously know Graham really well,” said Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake. “It showed that Yarbs is open to evolving. Once we understood what changes had been made, we were able to dig deeper.”

Using the same grip but aligning the seams differently, Yarbrough unlocked a new version of his changeup — one that now averages 4.1 more inches of vertical drop compared to last season.

The results? Eye-opening.

Opponents are hitting just .167 off the pitch, with an average exit velocity of 79.4 mph and a 46.6% whiff rate — up dramatically from 22.7% last season. It’s also produced 11 of his strikeouts.

Master of disguise

What makes Yarbrough even more effective is how his entire arsenal blends together through unique arm angles.

According to Baseball Savant, his pitches range from 67.7 to 90.9 mph, and he uses five distinct offerings: a cutter, sinker, sweeper, changeup, and four-seam fastball — none of which come with overpowering velocity. Yet it works.

“He’s got the different angle,” said DJ LeMahieu. “He’s not going to light up the radar gun, but all his pitches feel like they get on you fast. His offspeed looks extra slow. Just one of those guys who knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Only the changeup and cutter share the same 11-degree arm slot. His other pitches come from arm angles ranging from 9 to 21 degrees, giving batters inconsistent visual cues and making pitch recognition difficult.

That deception is enhanced by Yarbrough’s unusual release point — just 13 degrees, fourth-lowest among qualified pitchers and comparable to Braves ace Chris Sale. For a 6-foot-5 pitcher, that’s almost like skipping stones rather than throwing over the top.

“It’s the reaction I’ve gotten from hitters I’ve played against,” Yarbrough said. “It’s hard to pick up. If they can’t pick up anything on you early, it puts them in a tough spot.”

Weak contact, strong results

Yarbrough isn’t just fooling hitters — he’s keeping them off the barrel.

He ranks in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity (84.1 mph) and the 98th percentile in hit rate (27.3%). His barrel rate sits at just 3.6%, meaning very few batters are squaring him up.

Those numbers were on full display last Sunday when he tossed six innings of one-run ball against the Dodgers, helping the Yankees avoid a sweep at the hands of their 2024 World Series nemesis.

“He’s squaring up hitters in his own way,” Boone said. “He’s tough to get a bead on, and that’s what’s made him so valuable in this stretch.”

Even in the bullpen earlier this season, Yarbrough had a solid 4.11 ERA across eight appearances — a figure inflated by one bad outing. But in the rotation, he’s become a model of efficiency and deception.

Reinvention and fit in the Bronx

For the Yankees, Yarbrough is more than a stopgap. He’s a reminder of the value of adaptability — and the power of coaching continuity. From Johnson’s offseason insight to the Yankees’ pitch-mapping expertise, Yarbrough has been open to evolving at a stage in his career when many veterans resist change.

“It’s been more about game planning and understanding how everything works and moves,” Yarbrough said. “Just really utilizing my whole arsenal.”

And while his funky motion might draw questions, his performance silences them. The Yankees didn’t ask for an ace when they signed Yarbrough. They asked for dependability. They’ve gotten that — and then some.

With an eye on October and plenty of arms shuffling through the rotation, Yarbrough’s unconventional style might be exactly what keeps opposing lineups guessing.

“He’s fun to watch, man,” Boone said. “A throwback — but a new kind of problem for hitters.”

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