The Yankees need to fix The Airbender

 Devin Williams hasn’t instilled confidence in the Yankee fanbase based off his handful of outings in pinstripes. In fact, he’s lost the closer roll not even a month in a half into his first season in the Bronx.

The 30-year-old right hander in just 15 appearances has a 9.24 ERA, 12 walks, 16 strike outs, and has given up 13 hits in 12.2 innings. In those 15 appearances Williams has four saves and while he’s allowed nearly every team to tattoo him, he’s only blown one save. Since he’s been moved out of the closer roll—Williams has been successful two out of three times. First against Tampa Bay in the 8th inning and second against San Diego to hold off the top of the Padres lineup in the top of the 10th and give the opportunity to the Yankee offense to walk it off in the bottom of the inning. The outing in between, we don't need to talk about.

New York is the hardest place on earth to have a good first impression. Especially if you aren’t a home-grown player. If you are brought in to bolster the roster, you must play like a first ballot Hall of Famer for Yankee fans to think you were worth the transaction. If not, you’re a bum. There is no in between. That is unfair to everyone, but that is the part of the price of pinstripes. It happened with Gerrit Cole, who “couldn’t get it done in the playoffs” based off a bad start against Boston in the 2021 Wild Card game. Now, Cole is beloved based off his 2023 Cy Young season, recent playoff success, and cannot get back fast enough from his Tommy John surgery. It happened with Giancarlo Stanton, who “is always hurt, cannot run, and isn’t worth $20+ Million.” Now Stanton is on track to have his number ‘27’ retired in monument park thanks to his historic postseason last October despite being hurt, still cannot run, and is still getting paid $32 Million this year (according to Spotrac). Getting booed is a part of playing in New York. It happens to everyone. Aaron Judge was booed last April and hoisted his second MVP trophy in December. Even royalty from the last Yankee dynasty Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were booed at some point.

Speaking of Rivera, majority of the Yankee fanbase it seems wants to compare Williams to Mariano Rivera. What fans forget thanks to the best career of all-time for a closer is that Rivera struggled in his first season as the full time closer in the Bronx. It’s true! Rivera blew two of his first six save attempts, had nine blown saves, and blew the 4th game of the American League Divisional Series against Cleveland later that October. Adapting to the closer role in New York is extremely difficult. Even for the greatest closer to ever grace the mound.

Again, I’m not comparing Devin Williams to Mariano Rivera, I’m just pointing out it wasn’t always easy sledding with Rivera at the beginning.

If you don’t want to compare Williams to Rivera, let’s compare him to the man he replaced, Clay Holmes. When Holmes arrived in the Bronx from Pittsburgh, he was a complete unknown to the Yankee watching universe. That is mostly because as a Pirate Clay Holmes failed as a starting pitcher and only had 70 innings out the bullpen with the Bucs and a 3.60 ERA. Holmes wasn’t asked to close games right away but did record two blown saves in 2021. It was in 2022 when Aroldis Chapman spent time on the injured list that Holmes was asked to fill in. Holmes successfully saved the first 11 games before blowing his first save. In the next 11 chances Holmes would blow four saves. Holmes showed he also was not Mariano Rivera. By the end two years later Holmes would lead Major League Baseball in blown saves (13) and hand over closing duties to Luke Weaver. 

Weaver in his extremely limited time as the Yankee closer, including the postseason, has 11 saves in 15 opportunities. He is the man that Yankee fans want as the man to usher a sold-out crowd into a victorious rendition of “New York, New York” as they walk out onto East 161st Street. Not Devin Williams.

While Weaver has been great and Williams not so much, let’s compare some of the numbers the Yankees themselves are looking at and why Aaron Boone and company will not quit talking up what they’ve seen from Devin Williams so far in 2025. If you look at baseballsavant.com which tracks all the statcast data—Devin Williams underlying numbers project a brighter horizon for how Williams has pitched so far. The Yankee right-hander has a 32.4 hard hit percentage which is in the 87th percentile. Compare that to Luke Weaver who has a 39.0 hard hit percentage which is in the 64th percentile. When balls are put into play against Williams, they are hit at an average of 86.8 MPH which is in the 87th percentile. Compared to 91.1 MPH on balls put into play against Luke Weaver. Both Williams and Weaver have the same 25.4% strike out percentage. Williams’ changeup is also still the same pitch. What has been the downfall of Williams to this point is twofold.

Via baseballsavant.mlb.com

The first part is the fact Devin Williams is not throwing strike one often enough. So far 2025 has been the worst year of his career in getting ahead 0-1. The Airbender is only throwing a first pitch strike 50.8% of the time. Compare that to Luke Weaver who is throwing a first pitch strike 61.3% of the time. The second part of that is fastball command. In order for arguably the best pitch in baseball aka Devin Williams’ “Airbender” changeup to be impactful—he must have his fastball be a useful pitch. If Williams gets control of his fastball, he is likely to regain his confidence and be in the conversation of best closer in baseball again.

Say what you want now in May, the Yankees will need Devin Williams to be the closer they thought he was in Milwaukee in order for another parade to happened down the Canyon of Heroes.