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After looking like they were about to fall apart at times during the second half of the 2022 season, the New York Yankees have recovered and are closing in on wrapping up the American League East division over the next few days. Barring a shocking collapse, the Yankees will automatically move on to the Division Series and skip the Wild Card round as the number two seed in the American League.
Despite their struggles since the All-Star break, the Yankees are one of the most dangerous teams in the league to win it all this season. They have a strong lineup and a deadly pitching staff, and if they get hot at the right time, it's tough to see them losing a series to any of the other playoff teams this year.
If New York wants to go on a successful run in the 2022 MLB playoffs, they are going to need some of their best players to step up when the lights are the brightest. For that reason, that makes the Yankees best pitcher their biggest X-factor heading into the postseason. Let's take a look at who that is and see why he will play such a big role in New York's postseason success.
Yankees X-factor for 2022 MLB Playoffs: Gerrit Cole
It's no surprise that Gerrit Cole is the Yankees ace heading into the postseason. Cole has once again cemented himself as one of the best pitchers in the league this season with a strong 2022 campaign, and he is going to be tasked with pitching in some big moments for New York in the playoffs. Whether he will be able to hold up in these moments will determine how far New York goes in the playoffs.
While Cole has been great this season, there have been some holes popping up in his game. His ERA is sitting at 3.49, which isn't bad, but it's the fourth straight season we have seen Cole's ERA rise. Where he's looked unhittable for much of his career, Cole just hasn't had that same effect for much of this season.
The biggest reason for Cole's struggles has been his inability to limit the amount of home runs he gives up. He's allowed 31 homers this season, which is the most of any pitcher in the American League. That's going to have to change in the postseason.
The postseason hasn't always been kind to Cole, and he has struggled in his limited playoff action for the Yankees. He only lasted two innings against the Boston Red Sox in their do-or-die Wild Card matchup last season, and he was on the hill for Game 5 of the ALDS in 2020, which New York ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Rays, although the loss wasn't really due to him.
Cole has had some electric outings, such as his Wild Card outing against the Cleveland Guardians earlier in the 2020 playoffs, but the lingering taste of Cole's horrid outing against Boston has stuck with him all throughout the season. The Yankees can't afford for their ace to not show up when they need him the most.
The good news is that New York won't be faced with a do-or-die game right off the bat, giving Cole time to settle into the playoffs this time around. That will be huge because the Yankees are still dealing with quite a few injuries in their bullpen, and their pitching staff isn't ever going to be fully healthy in the postseason.
Key arms in the bullpen such as Wandy Peralta, Michael King, and Albert Abreu are all on the injured list right now, and even Frankie Montas, who hasn't been good in a starting capacity for New York, is out right now too. That puts a bigger burden on the starting rotation to perform, especially Cole since he will be leading the way.
New York desperately needs Cole to be their ace during the playoffs. The rotation behind him is strong, but the lineup runs hot and cold, and the bullpen is not fully healthy. How well Cole performs will directly correlate with how far into the playoffs the Yankees go.
It may seem a bit strange to label Cole the Yankees X-factor, but when it comes to the playoffs, you need your best players to be at their best. Unfortunately for Cole, that hasn't always been the case.
But now more than ever, New York needs Cole to answer the call to be their best starter. He clearly has the stuff, but in his biggest moments for the Yankees, it has often eluded him. If that remains the case this time around, New York will be heading into the offseason far sooner than they would have initially expected, making Cole the team's biggest X-factor entering the playoffs.
