DIVISIONAL OUTLOOK: AL East—Sabathia slowing down?

New York Yankees

Already reeling from a number of injuries to key players, the Yankees were seemingly dealt another when staff anchor C.C. Sabathia (LHP, NYY) stumbled on Opening Day (5 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). Sabathia's velocity was down significantly (89.7 mph average fastball, 92.1 peak), and he was not missing many bats: The Red Sox made contact with 33 of 35 of Sabathia's fastballs, according to one local scribe, his swings and misses coming on his change-up.

Sabathia allayed fears somewhat April 7 by pitching seven shutout innings against the Tigers in his second start of the year. His fastball remained in the 88-91-mph range, however.

Sabathia is coming back from off-season elbow surgery, so perhaps all that is going on here is a...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From PT Tomorrow

The BHQ playing time metrics give us a new perspective on our previous beliefs about NL West players. So this week, let's see what we can learn.
May 16 2026 3:06am
Michael Conforto is playing more against righties during a hot streak, but the Cubs are trying to keep Moisés Ballesteros in the lineup against them as well
May 15 2026 3:05am
Using BaseballHQ's exclusive Playing Time Metrics to examine usage trends across the NL East.
May 14 2026 11:17am
Isaac Collins has struggled vs. LHP, and it might be time for the Royals to give Jac Caglianone another shot at everyday at-bats. Plus, Sam Antonacci's rise in CHW, Angel Martínez's platoon splits in CLE, an opportunity for Matt Vierling in DET, and why the Twins won't play Ryan Jeffers more.
May 14 2026 3:06am
Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza are forcing the issue to change the platoon situation in Anaheim.
May 13 2026 3:05am

Tools