The Washington Nationals finally had a reliever that looked good, and they sent him down. Well that is quite the oversimplification, but I did with Eddy Yean got to stay with the team after his electric debut. However, he threw 28 pitches, so he was not going to be available for a few days.
Now that he is on the 40-man roster and made that kind of first impression, there is no doubt that Eddy Yean will be back. I just hope it is sooner rather
than later. The big right hander made his debut in a tough spot. Cade Cavalli just did not have it today, so Yean had to come in during the third inning with two on. He was able to stop the bleeding in that inning, and things just went from there.
Yean came in the ball game and attacked with his power stuff. That was a breath of fresh air for this bullpen. Yean’s heater averaged 97.8 MPH yesterday. The Nats bullpen just does not have that kind of velocity in it. I take a liking to big fireballers out of the bullpen, and Yean certainly fits that description. Seeing a guy who looks like a defensive tackle flirt with triple digits is pretty awesome if you ask me.
While Yean’s fastball is in the upper 90’s, his primary putaway pitch yesterday was his changeup. All three of his strikeouts came on the change, which has also been his primary whiff pitch in the minors. The pitch looks and moves a lot like his sinker, it just comes in about 8 to 9 MPH slower. That makes things really tough on hitters.
That first strikeout is a really good example of how his changeup plays. It does not have insane movement, but hitters are just out in front of the pitch. That leads to whiffs or ground balls. Those ground balls are a big part of Yean’s game. In the minors, his GB rate was 54.1%. Yesterday, Yean got a couple ground ball outs as well. Despite the big velocity, he projects more as a ground ball artist than a guy who gets a ton of strikeouts.
It was not just Yean’s performance on the mound that endeared him to fans though. The righty made a grand entrance on the bullpen cart to start his big league career. With how hot it was yesterday, I would have done the exact same thing. He is a big boy, and you don’t want him wasting any energy on things that do not involve pitching. It is also very cool and funny when guys take the bullpen cart.
Honestly, Eddy Yean was giving off a lot of Fernando Rodney energy yesterday. Between the Dominican heritage, the beefy build, the nasty changeup and big velocity, there are a lot of similarities there. Yean even had a flat-billed cap like Rodney, but it was not sideways.
Yean really seems like a charismatic presence, and could become a fan favorite with a few more good outings. I understand the process of sending him down, but I wish they rewarded good performances more than they do. It is also not like Yean threw 50 pitches like Carson Palmquist did in his Nats debut.
This is really just a nit pick though because Yean is almost certainly going to be back soon. The bullpen is simply not good enough to have a guy with an upper 90’s heater and nasty changeup just sitting in the minors. Frankly, Yean should have been given a shot sooner than he was. You need velocity and stuff in the bullpen, and that is what Yean can provide.
Sometimes finding bullpen help can be simple. Just call on the big Dominican right hander who throws 99. Eddy Yean did not look scared or overwhelmed at all in his big league debut. Why would he feel scared, even in the big leagues, his velocity and stuff plays. I can’t wait to see more of the 25 year old righty.
