New York Yankees star Luis Gil dominated in the month of May. Among rookies, he was the MLB's pick for the best in the American League, whether hitter or pitcher. Gil was so good that the league named him the American League pitcher of the month as well. It was a historic few weeks and it resulted in some hardware.
Gil went a perfect 6-0 in May, the best record by any pitcher. He earned 1.3 fWAR, the second-most of all pitchers in MLB. He had a tiny 0.70 ERA, a 10.24 K/9 rate, and a 2.47 FIP. If anyone did get on base, they were stranded at a 99.1% rate.
Fans have had the pleasure of watching Gil take over for the injured Gerrit Cole with great success, and they offered up some praise after the rookie earned his first two major awards.
"Congrats Luis Gil! Well deserved. We are so glad you are a Yankee," one fan said.
"Pretty soon he’ll be referred to as Ace Gil," another added.
"AL CY Young at the end of the year is gonna hit hard," one fan claimed.
"You deserve this honor. Great pitcher on the greatest team ever," a fan chimed in.
Gil's birthday is today, June 3. He turned 26 and was bestowed two major awards for his efforts.
Luis Gil is the Yankees' newest ace
While the Yankees awaited Gerrit Cole's return, which still has not happened, they were forced to turn to the once-promising but inconsistent Luis Gil. He has rewarded them by not only filling the back end of the rotation but by being their best starter.
His 1.6 fWAR leads the team. His 1.99 ERA leads all starters and is fourth among all Yankee pitchers with at least 10 innings. His 31.7% strikeout rate tops every qualified Yankee pitcher as well.
He has been the best pitcher the Yankees have. His situation down the stretch will need to be monitored since he is coming off of Tommy John, but he won't be the odd man out when Cole does return from injury.