Camilo Doval has had his struggles over the past two seasons, and since coming over to the Yankees he’s been a serious letdown.
Aaron Boone was hoping to have another late-inning bullpen weapon, but Doval has been limited to lower leverage situation as a result of having a super-high walk rate.
Doval has posted a 5.51 ERA and 4.37 FIP in 19 outings with the Yankees, but he’s been much better as of late, with the right-hander looking like a potential weapon again out of New York’s bullpen.
Matt Blake has started to work his magic on the former All-Star closer, and he could be the key to New York going on a deep playoff run this October.
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Why Camilo Doval Could Be A Huge Boost For the Yankees
The Yankees have needed some relievers to step up given how lackluster that unit has been throughout the second half, and Camilo Doval has been right in the middle of those issues.
He took the loss in their post-deadline collapse in Miami (largely fueled by poor luck), and it hasn’t been pretty after the fact.
With nine runs and seven walks allowed over his first nine appearances in New York, the Yankees had to reduce the leverage of situation they used Doval in, but he quickly turned things around.
Doval is throwing more first-pitch strikes while being more aggressive with his cutter usage to try and get ahead in counts.
He’s dialed the command in a bit, and with the ability to get ahead and attack the zone, it’s made Doval an interesting weapon as the postseason gets closer.
As long as Doval has a general idea of where the baseball is going, he’ll be an effective pitcher due to the velocity he generates on his pitches and the movement.
The pitch that’s improved for Doval over this stretch is his slider, which is averaging over an inch more of lateral movement while having the same amount of depth and velocity.
Since August 24th, Camilo Doval has a 4.00 ERA, but it’s come with a 3.04 FIP and a 21.1% K-BB%, indications that he’s been an excellent reliever with bad luck.
If he can get hot at the right time, the Yankees might find themselves with a strong bullpen as Devin Williams has gotten hot as well.