The New York Yankees might have finally answered a perplexing roster question as they ended a five-game losing streak with a win against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
The team has struggled to close out games amid concerns for two-time National League Reliever of the Year Devin Williams and acquired several high-relief arms at the trade deadline. One of those new additions, David Bednar, recorded a five-out save on 42 pitches against the Rangers and might have seized the closer role as a result.
Williams, meanwhile, might simply lack the mental toughness to handle that kind of role in the Bronx. He has a 5.44 ERA in 43 innings for the Yankees so far, after posting a 1.25 ERA with the Milwaukee Brewers last year. When asked if that regression could be due to a failure to adjust to pitching in New York City, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake acknowledged that might be the case.
“Obviously you can’t rule it out,” Blake admitted, according to NJ.com’s Randy Miller. “Everything that happens here is amplified, so it’s harder to avoid the noise.”
The Yankees acquired Williams in an offseason trade this past winter, but they might have suspected he’d succumb to the pressure in pinstripes. He has a career 23.14 ERA across three postseason games with the Brewers, suggesting he struggles when the spotlight is the brightest.
“This guy is not built for New York,” an anonymous scout told Miller. “He just doesn’t have that makeup or mindset that you need in New York.”
With Williams now demoted out of the closer role for the second time in his first season with the Yankees, that could very well be the case. He is set to become a free agent at the end of this season and, unless he is able to make a dramatic improvement in the final stretch of the campaign, it seems his days under the Yankees’ spotlight will soon be over.
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