How the Yankees turned an abandoned bullpen arm into a reliable weapon

THE Yankees picked up Michel Tonkin waivers in late April, and it was all thanks to a series of roster moves from two different organizations. The right-hander had been designated for assignment by the Mets, picked up by the Twins, designated for assignment by the Twins, picked up by the Mets again and designated for assignment again. Before May even began, Tonkin was DFA'd three times and would be on his third team, as no one in the league apparently believed there was enough value to be had with him.

His first outing for the Yankees didn't go as well as he hoped, losing a lead in the 10th inning and then losing the game in the 11th inning, with fans clamoring for him to be DFA for one game. fourth time before the All-Star Break. Fast forward to today, and he's posted a 0.89 ERA with the team, looking like one of the best bullpen finds in the sport thanks to a few key changes.

Michael Tonkin makes key changes with the Yankees

With the Twins and Mets, Michael Tonkin used his sinker almost 59% of the time, and he recorded a -4 run value over that span, even when he first came to the Yankees he was quite dependent on the fastball. Over his first 15.2 innings, Tokin had a -1.14 win probability and 13.5% K-BB%, which resembles the stat line of a back-end reliever who is released for a roster spot during the season. His sinker usage was 59.3% over that span, but the Yankees identified that his best pitch was his slider.

Tonkin throws both a gyro slider and a sweeper, and while he mixes up the sweeper from time to time, it's the tighter gyro slider that he has the most success with since he can throw it to righties and left-handed people. Over his last 13.2 innings, he has increased his use of the gyro slider by 11%, reducing the number of sinkers he throws and, as a result, having much more success on the mound.

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Michael Tonkin is now a pitcher capable of getting strikeouts while keeping the ball on the ground at a high rate, and the Yankees are a team lacking strikeouts from their bullpen. That's not to say Tonkin will continue to be a sub-2.00 ERA pitcher this season, but his process on the mound is remarkable with the increased reliance on his excellent slider. This pitch is truly one of the best breaking balls in the Yankees bullpen because it has some awesome features thanks to its stiff movement and odd launch points.

When a pitcher standing at 6'7 drops the ball about 5.3 feet off the ground, it can create some serious deception, and the sinker plays more like a setup pitch so he can throw up and down in the area where it can pick up some odors or gentle contact. It's a solid arsenal that benefits both lefties and righties, and the Yankees are once again demonstrating their developmental prowess.

It's a motley group of arms for the Yankees right now in this bullpen, as heroes have emerged in the form of Luke Weaver and Michael Tonkin, who were DFA'd and considered an afterthought by many members of the league. Cody Poteet has also been a nice surprise in their rotation, and who could have seen the Yankees getting a combined 2.01 ERA and 24.6% strikeout rate from this group?

Matt Blake and Sam Briend deserve a lot of credit for what they've done in this organization, and of course Michael Tonkin deserves a lot of credit for bouncing back from a rough start with the Yankees to become one of their strongest arms reliable. like lately.