There may not be a player that 2024 means more for than New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon. Rodon is looking to rebound after a rough start to his career with the Bronx Bombers in 2023.
ESPN senior writer David Schoenfield wrote an article on “MLB spring training 2024: One player to watch on every team,” and named Rodon as the player to watch for the Yankees.
Schoenfield wrote, “Rodon might be up there as one of the most important players of the entire 2024 season. After signing a huge free agent contract in December 2022, his first season in pinstripes was a disaster.”
Eight-pitch first inning for Carlos Rodón including this beautiful strikeout after battling back from 3-0
Rodon signed with the Yankees for six years, $162 million prior to the 2023 season and was slated to be the No. 2 starter in the rotation.
That did not happen for Rodon and Schoenfield described the season as a failure with “injuries, a 6.85 ERA and 15 home runs allowed in 64⅓ innings.”
Rodon did not make his debut for the Yankees until July 7 against the Chicago Cubs. His season culminated in disaster during his final start against the Kansas City Royals when he was unable to record a single out and allowed 8 earned runs.
Carlos Rodon’s Tenure With Yankees Started Rocky
When Rodon was signed by the Yankees, the hope was to slot the pitcher in behind ace Gerrit Cole giving the Yankees a formidable 1-2 punch.
Schoenfield wrote, “His fastball/wipeout slider combo made him one of MLB’s best pitchers in 2021-22.”
Rodon was coming off two strong seasons in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he pitched to a 13-5 record and a 2.37 ERA (earned run average) with a below 1.0 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) for the Chicago White Sox.
Carlos Rodón gets out of a jam with a strikeout and loses his mind
However, he still only threw 132.2 innings during the season. Rodon did finish fifth in Cy Young voting that season and was elected to his first All-Star game.
Rodon signed with the San Francisco Giants and continued his breakout with a 14-8 record. He pitched to a 2.88 ERA and set career highs in games started (31), innings pitched (178.0) and strikeouts (237).
However, when he joined the Yankees the pitcher who succeeded the previous two seasons was nowhere to be found. Schoenfield wrote, “Batters hit .294 and slugged .550 against the heater in 2023.”
Yankees’ Season Depends on a Carlos Rodon Bounce-Back
Rodon will need to rediscover his fastball if he hopes to have a bounce back this season. FanGraphs still slots Rodon into the No. 2 starting role, though this could change if the Yankees sign Blake Snell, so currently the Yankees are relying on a bounce back.
Cole is coming off a CY-Young season, but behind him, there are numerous question marks coming into spring training for the rotation.
Rodon’s first goal is to stay healthy through spring training and Schoenfield points out, “Check to see if he’s limiting his walks and locating the fastball in spring training after his command issues of last season.”
If Rodon can get back to the dominant strikeout pitcher he was when the Yankees signed him, the Yankees will be a dangerous threat in the AL East.
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Yankees’ $162 Million Starter Named Player to Watch in Spring Training