Carlos Rodon Spring Training Debut

Arnab Bose

Yankees Pitcher Carlos Rodon Makes A HUGE Comeback In Spring Start With New Pitch

The New York Yankees did not get Carlos Rodon to start very well in his debut season with them. Moreover, the pitcher was very inconsistent and sustained a severe injury last year. As a result, the team was afraid of signing more pitchers for a lot of money in the winter. But the NY side needs a few more pitchers to solve their shaky pitching rotation problem. Anyway, the Bronx Bombers have a pretty good side that looks worthy to be in the World Series. But that’s not enough, as they must stay healthy over a whole season.

That is even more important than how it looks now. Last season was a pretty good wake-up call for the Yankees. They had a long Injured List. Later, they did not make the postseason. Moreover, they finished with an awful 82-80 record. Hence, the whole team had been through enough embarrassment. Last year’s failure is pretty fresh to the team, and they are eager to make things right in 2024. Only time can say how far they will go in the 2024 season. Lately, Carlos Rodon started his spring training. He looked good on Day 1.

   

Carlos Rodon Is Off To A Solid Start 

Carlos Rodon Yankees
Carlos Rodon Yankees Source: NBC Sports

Last year was so bad for Rodon that it won’t take much to have a slightly better season in 2024. But Rodon tried a new pitch. And his first day of spring training went pretty well. Last year, Rodon was able to play only one game of the Grapefruit League games before his injury issues started. But this time, he looks to be on a better foot. On Sunday, Carlos Rodon struck out 5 over 2 2/3 innings as the Yankees played against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rodon threw 48 pitches. Clearly, he is in the process of distancing himself from having a similar season like his brutal debut in pinstripes.

After the first day of spring training, Rodon said, as per The New York Post’s Greg Joyce, that it felt good to see there were some swing and miss still in his arsenal. And Rodon is just trying to build on that. He went through his first innings pretty quickly. Then, in the second inning, he walked off a couple of hitters and also hit another. Later, he got out of the jam with a strikeout. Finally, in his last pitch, Rodon threw a cutter. It was a new addition to his skill set. He says he is “Still developing.” Anyway, Alejandro Kirk hit that cutter for a home run.

What’s The Yankees Manager Got To Say About Rodon?

Yankees
Carlos Rodón turned his back on pitching coach Matt Blake during a mound visit on Friday night.AP

Later, Aaron Boone mentioned that Rodon was good on his first day of spring training. Moreover, Boone noted that stuff-wise, he was good. Also, the skipper said that it was an important step for the lefty pitcher to go out there and have some success. On top of that, it was also good to see him getting to the three-ups and throwing nearly 50 pitches. Hence, the gist of the first day of Rodon’s spring training has been good progress.

Moreover, the left-hander got in a noticeably better shape in the offseason. Hence, his fitness must allow him to be more consistent with his delivery. On Sunday, Carlos Rodon averaged 93.6 mph for a fastball. And Rodon’s fastest pitch on Sunday was 95.9 mph. His speed averaged pretty much the same last season. But he took time to get there in the previous spring training. 

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