AMA: Former Yankees pitcher/YES Analyst Adam Ottavino

19 comments

1. Hey Otto, since I made the post I guess I’ll start you off with a few different questions

   What do you think the Yankees should do this offseason?

   Who was the toughest hitter that you faced in your career?

   What was your go to “slump breaker” ie the Giambi Golden Thong?

2. Hello Adam, which pitches would you have thrown and in what sequence to strike out Babe Ruth?

3. You’ve had the rare experience of playing for the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox — three huge baseball markets. What stood out to you as the biggest difference in the environment or culture between those teams?

   Thanks!

4. Hey Otto, you were always one of my favorite relievers.

   What was Aaron Boone like in the clubhouse?

   What was your relationship with Cashman like?

   Finally what was the toughest pitch to master with the high elevation in Colorado?

   Thanks!

5. Hey Adam, thanks for doing this! How much of pitching today is data and analytics vs pure feel, and what was your personal balance? During your time with the Yankees, did you feel like the organization leaned too far toward analytics, or did they strike a good balance?

6. Which clubhouse did you like more, Oakland or sun life stadium

7. Hey Adam, I saw you once posted at Yankee Stadium with the golden lifetime MLB pass. Which stadium have you been to most with it? Any drawbacks to it?

8. was there ever a pitch or moment you wish you could do over

9. Hey Otto, fellow Adam here.. question is what do you think your most single nastiest pitch was in your career?

10. Hey Otto, I’m curious how it is when you’re a free agent? Do you talk with the teams interested in you at all, or is it pretty much your agent saying “team X, Y, Z are interested. Are they all ok and and if so I’ll just try to get the most money possible” or what’s the interactions you as a player have for it?

11. Hey Adam! This is really cool. I was excited to see the Yankees sign you earlier this year, but sad to see it wasn’t for more innings. If given the opportunity, would you pitch in MLB again next year? If so, would it depend on what teams you would receive these theoretical offers from?

12. Otto who has the best sweeper/slurve in the game outside of you

13. Hey Adam. Fellow Husky alum who grew up in NY area. What was the biggest takeaway you grasped from watching the Yankees and MLB as a whole about what matters in pitching and baseball in general in 2025 and beyond?

14. Hey Adam! Less of a baseball related question and more of a stadium one but which team puts out the best pre and post game buffet for the players?

15. Hey Adam, love your breakdowns on YouTube. They’ve become an awesome way to learn more about the game. Have you ever thought about going through some of your performances and breaking down what you were thinking pitch by pitch?

16. Hi Adam, would you rather be first in line to fight a gorilla or last in line for Bonnie Blue? Thanks!

17. Why did you say you could strike out Babe Ruth?

18. Hey Adam, outside of Cam Schlittler, which Yankee young arms in the system do you think have the best chance at being difference makers at the MLB level…and why?

    Who would you bet on coming up in 2026 (assuming there’s need and space!) and sticking out of the talent at AAA and AA?

    Thanks for doing this?

19. Thanks for doing this Adam! I’m wondering: what would you say are the greatest strengths and weaknesses of the Yankees’ approach to advanced analytics? My gut is that they have overvalued certain approaches at the expense of others (such as devaluing a differentiated two-strike approach for hitters), but I would love to hear an insider’s perspective on it. By the same token, how much say do players have in the application of analytics to their play – are they active participants in the process, or are they pushed to just sort of go along with it?