Ron Marinaccio was a revelation last season — at least to those who missed his impressive performance in the minors in 2021 and addition to the 40-man roster the following offseason.
But along with a terrific strikeout rate a year ago — only Michael King and Gerrit Cole were better on the Yankees’ staff — and the fact opposing batters had just a .146 average against the right-hander (the best among Yankees pitchers in 2022), there was one alarming stat.
Other than Aroldis Chapman, whose downward spiral continued to new levels in his final season in The Bronx, no Yankee walked more batters per nine innings than Marinaccio’s 4.91.
Even with those control problems, Marinaccio was terrific when healthy last year, a season that was impacted by a shin injury that knocked him out of the postseason.
So among the encouraging aspects of the Yankees’ season-opening shutout win over the Giants at the Stadium on Thursday was the performance from Marinaccio, who finished the game with two shutout innings.
He walked just one batter — the only baserunner Marinaccio allowed in the outing — and reminded people just how valuable he can be to a bullpen that might be lacking in star power, but has some valuable arms.
Gone are lefties Chapman (who landed in Kansas City) and Zack Britton (who remained unsigned as of Friday after his ill-fated comeback attempt from elbow surgery last season) and right-hander Scott Effross is out for the season following Tommy John surgery.
Free agent pickup Tommy Kahnle is on the IL with biceps tendinitis and Lou Trivino is out with an elbow strain, leaving the Yankees to rely on some relatively untested right-handers like Albert Abreu and Jimmy Cordero to support a bullpen that also features King, Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga and lefty Wandy Peralta.
Aaron Boone alluded to an addition to the pen on Thursday and after the game, the team announced it had acquired right-hander Colten Brewer from the Rays.
The 30-year-old has been mostly dreadful in 81 appearances over parts of four major league seasons, but the Yankees have proven to be adept at turning struggling relievers into effective pitchers in recent years, with Holmes, Peralta and Lucas Luetge recent examples.
The insertion of a healthy Marinaccio back into the mix will aid a pitching staff that’s also without key starters Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas.
Marinaccio pitched two innings on four different occasions last season, but only once after returning from right shoulder inflammation in late July.
He impressed for much of spring training, as the Yankees built him up slowly following the shin injury that bothered Marinaccio for much of the second half.
The 27-year-old still displayed dominant stuff, whiffing 15 in 7 ¹/₃ Grapefruit League innings, but he also walked four.
“They need him to do what he did last year and he’s got the stuff to repeat that success,’’ said an American League scout that saw him in the spring. “But the couple of injuries [last year] and walks would worry me.”