Scott Effross saw his phone ring on Monday morning, with Cubs GM Jed Hoyer’s number on the caller ID, and knew something was up – and he soon found out that he had been dealt
“I had a lot of calls to field after that, ant it all happened so quickly, I haven’t had that much time to think about it so far,” Effross told YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits on Tuesday, “but getting here to the field sunk it in a little bit. It’s shocking and exciting; still bittersweet leaving the team that drafted me and brought me up, but I couldn’t ask for a better spot to come to, one of the best teams in baseball.”
He has a former Yankee to thank for the opportunity, in large part: Ron Villone, who was a pitching coach in the Cubs organization back in 2019 and was the one who told Effross the franchise was thinking about asking the fledgling reliever to change his pitching delivery to the sidearm motion he uses now.
“They approached me about it, and it gave me a chance to stay in the organization,” Effross said. “I’m still learning it all but incredibly grateful to the Cubs for giving me that chance at a second life.”
If he’s still learning, then it could get scary when his education is done, as Effross made his MLB debut late in 2021 and became a weapon in the Cubs’ bullpen this year, posting a 2.66 ERA and striking out 50 batters in 44 innings. He also has held lefties to a .132/.220/.245 (7-for-53) slash line this year, and batters are hitting .094 against his changeup.
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He now gets to throw that pitch in the Bronx, where he will immediately be in a much more pressure-packed situation than he was at any point this year for the rebuilding Cubs – but he’s up to the challenge.
“It’s been great to be able to pitch in a lot of different situations I haven’t seen before, and I’m coming here ready to compete and help the team win in any way I can,” Effross said of his season. “The chance to play a lot of high-leverage games is the biggest thing. I’m really fortunate to be here, and I’m excited to get going.”
Where Effross will fit into the bullpen this year is TBD, as he and fellow acquisition Lou Trivino join Aroldis Chapman, Jonathan Loaisiga, and the emerging Ron Marinaccio as late-inning options ahead of closer Clay Holmes.
Wherever and whenever he pitches, though, Effross says the Yankees are getting a guy whose goal is to “bring another ring” to New York – this year, and perhaps in one or more of the five years of team control he has remaining after 2022.
“I’m kind of an easy-going guy, like to be a good teammate, and I love baseball and love to compete,” he said, “and I take pride in whatever role I’m asked to fill.”
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