Free agent pitcher Marcus Stroman signed a two-year $37 million with the New York Yankees earlier this week. In a rare and unconventional marriage, Stroman returned to his home a few years after calling the Bronx Bombers’ pitching department the worst in the league.
Regardless, Marcus Stroman is now a part of the starting rotation he once deemed worthless. Meanwhile, the pitcher got introduced by none other than his old nemesis and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman in a virtual press conference yesterday. While Stroman had a lot to say on his onboarding, a particular statement about Juan Soto has irked Aaron Judge fans.
Marcus Stroman Lists Juan Soto As The Best Hitter He Ever Faced!
New York Yankees’ newest addition, Marcus Stroman, was formally introduced as a Yankee by general manager Brian Cashman via a virtual press conference on Thursday. Stroman insisted that he buried hatches with Brian Cashman, and the past misunderstanding stands resolved. Cashman added that he apologized to the pitcher back in 2019, and the duo has no hard feelings. Meanwhile, Stroman opened up on his feelings about joining forced with the Bronx Bombers and ranked the team’s new addition, Juan Soto, heavily. “Soto is the better hitter I’ve ever faced,” said Marcus Stroman in his virtual interview. However, Aaron Judge fans are utterly unhappy with Marcus’ assessment and deem it factually incorrect.
In the past, Marcus Stroman pitched to Juan Soto 14 times, out of which Soto collected three hits, including a double and a home run. The hitter was struck out twice and had a slugging percentage of .700 against Stroman. On the flip side, Aaron Judge has 10 hits against the pitcher across 25 at-bats. He hit Marcus for four home runs and has a whopping 1.048 slugging percentage. Regardless, Stroman won’t have to face the music in 2024 as he is now a teammate to both Judge and Soto. However, Judge fans firmly believe that the Yankees captain is a better hitter compared to Juan Soto. Having said that, the comparison and debate will last forever. But both the hitters must work in harmony and compete as a team against the opposition and not against one another. Both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are professionals and are expected to behave like one this season.
Juan Soto Endorses Yankees Teammate Marcus Stroman On Instagram!
Meanwhile, Marcus Stroman’s praise of Juan Soto moved the batter as he endorsed his new teammate on social media. Soto reacted to Stroman’s comments on him being the best hitter and shared a story via Instagram handle to acknowledge the same. “We ready for the show,” captioned Soto, hinting at a blossoming friendship between the two ex-opponents.
Juan Soto and Marcus Stroman would certainly hope the change of scenery works in their favor. The duo are unfamiliar with big city pressure and the Yankee stadium atmosphere would be extremely challenging in case the duo endures a bad day. Thus, the 2024 season will test Soto and Stroman’s ability to adapt to soak pressure as they enter a highly challenging season.
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