Grading all five members of the Yankees starting rotation
James Paxton
When the Yankees made the deal to acquire Paxton from Seattle in the offseason the book on him was that he would pitch really well when he was healthy, but inevitably he’d spend some time on the Injured List. The start to his New York career has certainly followed that narrative.
He may be on the shelf now, but when Paxton’s been able to take the hill he’s pitched like a legitimate ace. The 30-year-old southpaw still blows hitters away with his fastball and shows a terrific breaking ball as well.
When Paxton is at his best, he can be one of the best pitchers in the game.
Yankees fans would have happily accepted Paxton’s ERA of just 3.11 in his first seven starts. The only problem with him this season is that he’s only made seven starts. That puts him three starts behind both Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ who both have ten on the young season.
Ultimately you have to credit Paxton for how well he’s pitched, but he does deserve a slight drop in his grade due to his lack of availability. There’s plenty of time for Big Maple to pull this grade up as the season goes along, but right now he doesn’t quite deserve an A.