Starting pitcher Carlos Rodón joined the New York Yankees last winter by signing a six-year, $162 million contract. Unfortunately, his first season in pinstripes didn’t go at all how he planned.
Multiple trips to the injured list limited the left-handed hurler to just 14 starts and 64.1 innings. His performance on the mound also wasn’t great, as Rodón turned in a 6.85 ERA and 1.45 WHIP with 64 strikeouts. Already in Tampa to get prepared for the upcoming season, he spoke with Greg Joyce of the New York Post about his nightmare 2023 campaign.
“I just feel like I got some stuff to prove and I want to stay on the field a lot longer than I did last year,” he said before a February 12 bullpen session.
“I know I’ve got to be better,” Rodon said. “Listen, I’ll be transparent with you. All of us are human. We hear everything. Now whether that eats at you, or do you actually listen and dive into it, that’s a person-by-person basis. But you’re eventually going to crack an egg when you hear it a thousand times. I know I’m being transparent and honest: It is hard, but as a New York Yankee that is our job to keep that shell tough. Good thing it was the end of the year and I got to move on and forget about baseball and come back refreshed and let’s start at it again.”
This Was a Much Different Offseason for Rodón
The southpaw has hopes of regaining his performance from 2021-22 during the 2024 season. Rodón was selected to the All-Star Game both times and produced two straight top-six finishes in Cy Young voting. Across 310.2 innings pitched, the lefty went 27-13 with a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 422 strikeouts.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman provided an encouraging update on Rodón’s offseason on January 18. The hurler provided more context on how this offseason was different while talking to Joyce.
“When they invest a lot of money in you, they definitely invest a lot of time and contact with you,” he said. “So it was good. We had a good plan. Started throwing pretty early. Started moving in the weight room pretty early. A lot earlier than normal. So I’ve been throwing a lot, just trying to stay ready.”
Is He the Yankees’ Starting Rotation X-Factor?
The Bombers are heading into 2024 with expectations of bouncing back from an 82-80 performance in 2023. Cashman and Co. have made improvements to the roster, but SNY’s Andy Martino reported they wished more could’ve been done for the pitching staff.
Cashman said on January 18 that if everything goes right, the Yankees’ rotation could be good. He also said that’s something he doesn’t want to count on. The starting five currently includes Rodón, Gerrit Cole, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes, per FanGraphs’ Roster Resource. If Rodón can find some semblance of his All-Star form with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants, it could turn New York’s rotation from good to great in a hurry.
YES Network’s Michael Kay didn’t mince his words on January 18 when talking about Rodón’s potential 2024 impact. “I think he’s going to be a force,” he said via the YES Network’s X account (formerly Twitter). “I think he’s the most important player for the Yankees in terms of them taking that next step to a championship level.”
Rodón earned his big payday last winter by signing with the Bombers. Now he’s out to prove in 2024 and beyond that he was worth the investment.
Like Heavy.com’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
The post Yankees’ $162 Million Pitcher Breaks Silence on Awful 2023 Performance appeared first on Heavy.com.