Luis Gil will look to continue his impressive start to the season on Sunday against the Dodgers, and the breaking right-hander credits some of his success to Jose Trevino.
Gill, speaking through a translator, said Saturday that having a catcher helps him “keep his concentration” while he’s on the mound.
That’s no coincidence.
“First of all, he’s a special pitcher,” Trevino said after hearing about Gil’s accolades. “He’s a pitcher who throws the ball. He’s young and hasn’t thrown that many innings in the major leagues, so I feel like I can help him out.”
Trevino said he discusses game situations with Gill and talks with him between innings with one main goal: “Clear your head. I want him to throw the ball. I don’t want him to have to think about anything. I want him to just throw the ball to me. Leave it all to me.”
The strategy was successful.
Gill said he is an All-Star candidate and would be “blessed” if given the opportunity to make the team.
Trevino played a key role in getting him to this point.
Gil has a 0.54 ERA in 50¹/₃ innings over eight starts with Trevino as catcher, while Austin Wells has a 5.21 ERA over four starts with him.
Gill only pitched one game for the Yankees in 2022 and didn’t take the mound once last year after returning from Tommy John surgery, so he and Trevino hadn’t worked together until spring training this year.
“When I saw him on live BP I said to myself, ‘This is good,'” Trevino said. “Then I saw him in spring training against the Mets and I said it again, ‘This is good.'”
The start came after Gill was sent to minor league camp and then returned to the major leagues due to an injury to Gerrit Cole.
Gill was in contention for the fifth starting position, but Trevino wasn’t looking ahead.
“I didn’t expect anything,” Trevino said of the battle for fifth place. “I just knew he was really good, and so was everyone else. I just knew I’d be playing against him again someday.”
Gill never left the team and served as the Yankees’ top starter in Cole’s absence.
When asked if he expected this version of Gil to come along so soon, Trevino simply laughed.
“It’s all about opportunity and preparation,” Trevino said. “He made that play. He was ready and he got his opportunity. Now he’s doing what he’s doing. It’s special, but he’s still got a long way to go. The amazing thing is, he’s still learning.”
As Trevino points out, Gill walked 24 batters in 37 innings over his first seven starts, but has walked just 10 batters in 32 1/3 innings over his last five appearances.
Add to that the fact that Gill has been largely unhittable over his last three games, allowing just four hits in 20 1/3 innings and an opponents batting average of .063, and it’s hard to find a better starting pitcher in the league than Gill.
Gil turned 26 less than a week ago and entered the season with just seven major league appearances under his belt, but he has been performing like a veteran since the start of 2024, and Trevino is a big reason for that.
