On Monday morning, the Yankees made a minor but interesting move by inviting veteran left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny to spring training.
The 32-year-old has played for several teams in recent years, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee. His role with the Yankees remains unclear, but he brings a unique approach as a low-strikeout, weak-contact pitcher—a style that could help balance the team’s bullpen.
A Journeyman with a Distinctive Skill Set
Zastryzny doesn’t rely on overpowering stuff or high strikeout numbers, but he finds ways to be effective. Last season, he pitched just 7.2 innings with the Brewers, posting a 1.17 ERA while striking out only 5.87 batters per nine innings. His knack for stranding runners (83.3% left-on-base rate) and limiting hard contact gives him a shot at a role. The challenge lies in whether he can refine his strategy to become a more dependable bullpen option.
Rob Zastryzny
Pitching Coach Matt Blake’s Next Challenge?
Zastryzny’s repertoire includes a four-seam fastball, sweeper, cutter, and changeup. His fastball was particularly effective last season, not allowing a hit in 48 pitches. Opponents hit just .227 against it in 2023 with the same slugging percentage, demonstrating potential. His sweeper also yielded solid results, holding batters to a .233 average. However, his cutter and changeup have been weaknesses, which the Yankees’ coaching staff may seek to improve.
Can He Boost His Ground Ball Rate?
In some ways, Zastryzny resembles Tim Hill, another soft-contact specialist. However, Hill generates far more ground balls, while Zastryzny’s ground ball rate of 33.3% is below average. Given the Yankees’ focus on groundball pitchers to complement their strengthened infield defense, this could be an area of improvement for Matt Blake. If Zastryzny can induce more weak grounders, he could become a valuable left-handed depth option.
A Spring Training Gamble
The Yankees don’t expect Zastryzny to suddenly become a dominant bullpen asset, but he offers veteran depth and a different look from the left side. With injuries always a possibility throughout a long season, having an additional option in the mix is always important.
