Less than two years ago, Luis Gil was on top of the baseball world. In his first full season in the majors, the Dominican Republic native won the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year Award after a stellar campaign. In 29 starts, Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts.
Fast forward to today, and Gil isn’t on the New York Yankees’ major league roster. On the surface, it’s hard to see why Gil’s career spiraled out of control. However, upon a deeper dive, it’s clear the answer lies in two key metrics.
Declining Velocity
In 2024, Gil’s fastball velocity sat at 96.6 miles per hour, a number that ranked in the 88th percentile. This led to a 29% whiff rate, which ranked in the 76th percentile. However, those marks quickly sank.
During the 2025 offseason, Gil suffered a high-grade lat strain that forced him to miss the first four months of the season. When he returned in August, his once-dominant fastball wasn’t the same, as the pitch’s velocity sat at 95.3 MPH. This led to a 21.5% whiff rate, ranking in the 20th percentile.
In four 2026 starts, both numbers dropped even more. Gil’s fastball touched 94.9 MPH on average, while his whiff rate sank to 18.5%. With a declining fastball and an inability to generate swings and misses, it became an uphill battle for Gil to retire hitters.
Trouble With Command
While Gil’s fastball became an issue over time, his command was an issue from the start. Even in his breakthrough 2024 campaign, Gil posted a 12.1% walk rate, ranking in the seventh percentile. The 77 walks he issued, meanwhile, led all of baseball. The next season, that mark rose to 13.5%, dropping him into the second percentile.
In 2026, everything unraveled with Gil walking 11 hitters and striking out nine in 19 1/3 innings. He allowed three walks in three of his four starts, sending his career K/BB ratio to 1.9.
The Future
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Gil’s future with the Yankees remains a mystery. Through 31 games, the Yankees’ rotation has the second-best ERA in baseball at 3.11. However, that mark stands without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt, who are all expected to return at some point this season. In addition, three of the Yankees’ top five prospects are pitchers, making Gil’s return to the starting rotation even harder.
Moving Gil to the bullpen is certainly an option, especially for a Yankees team that needs reinforcements in that department. However, relief pitchers often have two specialties, with those being high fastball velocities and high swing and miss rates. Unfortunately, those are Gil’s biggest weaknesses. Therefore, this might be the end of his tenure in pinstripes.
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