The New York Yankees are getting ready for October, and it is clear who their ace is going into the postseason.
Max Fried signed with the Yankees in the offseason. He was expected to pitch alongside Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Carlos RodĂłn. However, when Cole was ruled out for the year and Gil suffered an injury in spring training, Fried was quickly thrust into the ace role.
Fried has a 2.92 ERA in 31 starts and has a career high in strikeouts this season. However, he is also at a career-high for innings pitched with 188 1/3. There are concerns that overuse could hinder him in the postseason.
Innings for pitchers are always a talking point when it comes to velocity and injuries. While Fried is at an unprecedented number of innings for him, he feels fine.
“I’m feeling good,” Fried said when asked about logging more innings than ever before, per NJ.com’s Randy Miller.
The Yankees will need Fried to be sharp when October starts. The offense has been inconsistent at times, but with Fried on the mound, it may not take many runs to actually pick up a win.
While the Yankees may prefer to have Cole taking the ball in Game 1 of the postseason, Fried has proven the team can be just as comfortable with him on the mound when October starts.
The Yankees have not clinched a postseason berth yet, but are in a position to claim a wild card spot soon. The team can still win the division, but may find itself playing in a wild card series.
