In a must-win season in the Bronx, the New York Yankees’ success will ride on one player’s performance – and it’s not Juan Soto. It’ll come down to the left hand of Carlos Rodón.
The Yankees’ 2024 Fortunes Depend on Carlos Rodón
The Yankees’ Past
No matter how much Yankee fans attempt to forget it, last year did happen and it was abysmal. No one can blame them for trying because going into 2023, expectations were sky-high. Aaron Judge was fresh off his MVP season (where he set the AL single-season homerun record), Nestor Cortes and Clay Holmes excelled on the mound and earned All-Star appearances, and the team made it to the ALCS. GM Brian Cashman managed to keep the core together in the offseason, and the consensus was that this team was built to be a contender.
Then the team signed Carlos Rodón, and that talk shifted to the Yankees being The Contender.
Rodón was coming off two consecutive sub-three ERA campaigns, including one with 207 strikeouts. Analysts revered him for his high-velo fastball, devastating slider, and ability to be the ace of a rotation. When the ink dried on the $162M contract, people believed he and Gerrit Cole would front one of the best rotations in the game.
Sadly that was not the case. Cole held up his end of the bargain by winning a Cy Young Award, but Rodón was plagued with consistent injuries and finished the year with a 6.85 ERA. Combined with his career-worst -0.9 WAR, it was just a disappointing campaign.
Rodón Looking to Rebound
In just one offseason, the Yankees went from seeking ring #28 to having to prove they’re still a playoff-caliber team. The front office wanted to show last year wouldn’t happen again, and their winter moves seem to back that up. They improved their offense by bringing in outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, but to many people’s surprise, they didn’t bring in any high-level starting pitchers. Sure they got solid guys like Marcus Stroman and reliever Caleb Ferguson, but they’re not top-of-the-line hurlers who were expected to be pursued by the pinstripes.
Maybe that’s because they believe they already have their guy.
The former #3 draft pick has reportedly come to Spring Training determined to prove he has still got it. He lost weight, changed his diet, and worked on his mechanics, which has already yielded positive results. His fastball velo is up considerably since last year and his bullpens have been the talk of camp.
I spoke with Carlos Rodón, who’s not only in great physical shape but also in a better headspace. So far, he’s the talk of Yankees camp.
They believe they have corrected poor mechanics, and it’s why they believe a bounce back is possible.
Diving deep ⬇️https://t.co/MZysx0D7Zd
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 17, 2024
Rodón and New York’s Future
So what does it mean? Nothing yet. Baseball is a ‘What have you done for me lately?’ business. Until Opening Day rolls around, it’s just best guesses.
But what can be said is that Rodón has shown up to camp like a man possessed. He’s looked much more like his 2021-2022 self, and the Yankees sorely hope he’s back to ace form.
The team’s new position players should ignite the offense back into a competitive state, but the question, as always, comes back to, will the pitching be good enough?
Rodón is aiming to prove it will.
Photo Credit: © Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
