Fansided

Projecting the Yankees starting rotation in 2019

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Luis Severino #40 of the New York Yankees in action against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 16-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Luis Severino #40 of the New York Yankees in action against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 16-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA. – OCTOBER 6: Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning of Game 2 of Major League Baseball’s American League Division Series at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 6, 2018. (Photo By Christopher Evans/Digital First Media/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA. – OCTOBER 6: Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning of Game 2 of Major League Baseball’s American League Division Series at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 6, 2018. (Photo By Christopher Evans/Digital First Media/Boston Herald via Getty Images) /

2. Masahiro Tanaka

Tanaka is the only member of the rotation who can say he defeated the Red Sox in the postseason. His excellent start in Fenway Park for Game 2 made it clear he still can be a really good starter.

In fairness to the Japanese veteran, he was pretty solid all year long. He did miss some time due to injury, but Tanaka still managed to pitch 156 regular season innings. The Yankees would be happy to see him go 12-6 with a 3.75 ERA again in 2019.

Despite his obvious experience, Tanaka is still just 29-years-old. He has thrown a lot of innings during his career, but there’s no reason to think his performance will start to decline next season. In fact, it’s possible he could provide the Yankees a little more positive impact if his overall health can improve.

Yankee fans shouldn’t expect Tanaka to emerge as a legitimate Cy Young candidate, but they can reasonably expect him to remain an above average starting pitcher for the next several seasons. Combine that with his ability to raise his level of play in big games and he profiles as a really good No. 2 starter for this team.

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