On Wednesday this week, the New York Yankees’ pitchers and catchers will officially report for spring training. But ahead of the d-day, the majority of the roster have assembled in Tampa for early workouts and training drills. Aaron Judge is leading a pack of over 10 players who are currently in Florida for the pre-season campaign.
Meanwhile, this season, the New York Yankees are up for a turnaround. The lost tag needs to be detached to regain the lost hype and respect in the league. On that note, let’s look at the three new topics of discussion in this year’s spring training as the Yanks gear up for a new challenge with a revamped roster.
Juan Soto’s Addition To Balance The Righty-Dominated Hitting Lineup
For ages, the New York Yankees hitting lineup has been dominated by right-handed hitters. Ironically, the club’s home ballpark, the Yankee stadium, is a left-handed hitting, friendly ballpark. Thus, the front office’s game plan to include right-handers has raised a lot of doubts and uncertainty among the fans. Regardless, the Yanks addressed that area of weakness by adding two formidable left-handed hitters this off-season. Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo will bat alongside Aaron Judge this year in pinstripes. Soto’s addition is significant as a firepower hitter in the lineup who will possibly shed some load off Judge. The bottom line is that Soto’s addition will boost the Yanks run production as they head into the Grapefruit League.
Carlos Rodon & Giancarlo Stanton’s Makeover
Undoubtedly, Carlos Rodon and Giancarlo Stanton were the biggest disappointments of the 2023 MLB season for the New York Yankees. Rodon and Stanton are sitting on a $30+ million salary per year, which attracts increased scrutiny when they fail to perform. Meanwhile, heading into spring training, the underperforming duo’s makeover will be a key area of focus. Rodon has kicked off the off-season preparation well, and the Yankee leadership is satisfied with the results. As far as Stanton is concerned, he has opted for a leaner physique approach. The slugger is shedding off some pounds to elevate athleticism between the bases. It remains to be seen how much the duo manages to recover in spring.
Marcus Stroman Upgrades Yankees Rotation
Marcus Stroman was not the rotation upgrade the New York Yankees were looking for in the initial phase of the off-season. They pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery but failed each time. Thus, Stroman was a mere fallback option. But that does not take away from how good he is on the mound. Marcus missed out on the Yanks off-season hit list due to his past feud with Brian Cashman. Otherwise, he is a total menace on the mound and a clear difference-maker. His control over sinkers and curveballs makes him a distinct starter from the rest of his peers. Thus, as Yanks kick off spring training prep, all eyes will be on Stroman as he is expected to be a regular rotational player for the upcoming MLB season.
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