With Clay Holmes being moved out of the closer role, the Yankees have been in a weird situation where they’ve had to figure out who will take the mantle of finishing off the ninth inning. Luke Weaver was their first option, getting save opportunities in Chicago against the Cubs and looking strong in those two outings. While last night wasn’t a save situation, Weaver got five massive outs to hold the Royals to just three runs, setting up a walk-off win that helped the Yankees add to their narrow AL East lead.
Signed to a cheap contract this winter that comes with a club option for 2025, Luke Weaver’s breakout season might have given the Yankees a new closer.
Luke Weaver Has Proven to Be the Yankees’ Best Closer Option
Last night the Yankees desperately needed to grab a win, as the Orioles were walked off by the Red Sox in extra-innings, opening up an opportunity to pad the division lead. Every game matters so much more with under 20 games left in the schedule, and that means making some tough decisions in the bullpen to set your team up to win. Right now their best option is Luke Weaver, not Clay Holmes, and there are a few characteristics in Weaver’s game that make him such an enticing option to close out games.
Just like Clay Holmes, there are some command issues at times, it’s clear that Luke Weaver is trying to throw as hard as he can and it can result in some pitches getting away from him. The difference is that he’s able to use his fastball to get swings and misses, and typically pitchers will lean on their heater to try and get outs when they’re not able to command reliably. His four-seamer has a 28.6% Whiff Rate, an excellent mark for a fastball, and it sets up one of the best secondary pitches for anyone in this bullpen; his changeup.
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Luke Weaver’s changeup is a brilliant pitch that generated a -3° Launch Angle and an incredibly high Whiff Rate, which allows him to attack batters with it in two-strike situations and get outs. What makes it so deceptive is that there’s a 13.8-inch difference in vertical movement between his fastball and changeup, causing both left-handed and right-handed batters to swing over it often. It’s a buzzsaw pitch, becoming his go-to weapon when he needs to finish a batter off.
LUKE WEAVER DIALS IT UP TO GET OUT OF THE 11TH 🔥
NOW GO SCORE RUNS.#Yankees pic.twitter.com/djthvIkXLz
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) September 12, 2024
The other weapon at Luke Weaver’s disposal is his cutter, a pitch that compliments his fastball very well thanks to its subtle difference in movement profile. It has just enough ride to make hitters initially read it as a four-seamer, but the natural glove-side cut allows the pitch to move off of the barrel of a hitter’s swing path. He’s made a change in the location of the cutter to try and induce chases out of the zone, and it’s helped his cutter play up as it has a .000 wOBA and 28.6% Whiff Rate since the start of August.
More cutters down and away have opened up some more swing-and-miss for that pitch, and the ability to confidently throw three different pitches with three distinct movement profiles makes him an ideal closer candidate. Things could change down the stretch, but Luke Weaver has earned the right to remain the closer for now. The Yankees needed someone to step up and close out games, and since Clay Holmes hasn’t, it’s time to ride the hot hand and let Weaver eat in the ninth.