The unusual tweak that changed Effross' career

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It was the summer of 2019 and Scott Effross was, by his estimation, “a fairly average reliever.” Pitching for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in the Cubs organization, the right-hander had a bloated 5.88 ERA, appearing to be at a career crossroads.

That was when a conversation with his pitching coach, Ron Villone, changed everything. Villone -- who spent 15 years in the big leagues, including the 2006-07 seasons with the Yankees -- suggested that Effross could benefit from a new look, one that the Cubs didn’t have much of in their system.

Try throwing a few pitches sidearm, Villone suggested, and let’s see how it looks. Effross shrugged and complied. The results were encouraging -- so much so that, after a stint in the Cubs’ Arizona pitching lab finding his release point with a lethal sinker-slider combination, Effross stood on a mound in Chicago by August 2021, making his Major League debut.

“They approached me about doing this, giving them a different look and a look they didn’t have in the organization,” said Effross, whom the Yankees acquired before the Trade Deadline for pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski. “I jumped in with both feet, went to Arizona to re-learn how to throw and took baby steps -- throwing BP, getting in games down there and then going into the Minor Leagues to try and compete with it.”

A Twinsburg, Ohio, product who was a 15th-round pick in 2015 from Indiana University Bloomington, the 28-year-old Effross had a 2.66 ERA in 47 appearances for the Cubs this season before the trade, striking out 50 batters against just 11 walks in 44 innings.

The Yanks’ move for Effross followed season-ending injuries to relief stalwarts Chad Green and Michael King, plus a lingering injury that will keep Miguel Castro out until September. That figures to help the Bombers’ bullpen now and in the future -- Effross is under team control through 2027.

“Not everybody gets to play here and call themselves a New York Yankee,” Effross said. “It’s an incredible honor that I get to join not only a great organization, but a team that is playing so well right now. I’m excited to get going, fit in, meet the guys, and make new friends and teammates, helping out where I can.”