Is Rodón turning back into a Premier Pitcher?? It is looking promising!
Carlos Rodón pitched a great game in his fourth spring training appearance this Monday against the Phillies. Let's examine his performance this spring and predict what we should expect this season.
Rodón pitched the Yankees to a victory on Monday against the Phillies, with a final score of 4-3. He pitched 5.2 innings, recording five strikeouts, allowing only one walk and no hits! This spring, he is looking pretty good, which is a relief for Yankee fans after a disaster of a season in 2023. Last season, Rodón had a 6.85 ERA, allowed 65 hits and 28 walks, and ended the season with a 3 and 8 record. It wasn't just a regular lousy season for an MLB pitcher. Why? Because the Yankees signed him to a MASSIVE $162 million fully guaranteed 6-year deal. In 2024, the Yankees fans are looking for Rodón to solidify himself as a premier starting pitcher. To live up to the contract the Yankees gave him, we need to see him put up a sub-3.0 ERA. If spring training is an indication of his performance this year, I am pretty confident that he can do it!
With the Yankees not having Gerrit Cole to start the season due to some elbow soreness, the Yankees will need to rely on Rodón to be the solid backbone of the rotation. The Yankees do have Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortez, two above-average starting pitchers, but the rest of the rotation is a question mark.
The fourth pitcher in the rotation will be Clark Schmidt, who has been with the Yankees since he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft out of South Carolina. He has pitched in the majors for the Yankees since 2020, splitting his time in the Bronx between the bullpen and the starting rotation. In 2022 and 2023, he pitched around 30 games with an ERA of around 3.75. This season will be the first year he has a permanent spot in the starting pitching rotation, so we hope to see him take full advantage of the opportunity.
The fifth starting pitcher for the first month and a half with Cole out is still an unknown. Will the Yankees sign one of the premier pitchers still available, such as Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell? Will they sign an average pitcher who is still available, such as Michael Lorenzen? Or will they sub in some bullpen pitchers to split the starting position?
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