Can New York Yankees’ Top Heavy Rotation Overcome Serious Underlying Issues, as Marcus Stroman Joins the Fray?

The New York Yankees were plagued by multiple issues during the 2023 season, which they have tried addressing this off-season. One of those areas was pitching, a really big deficiency for the Bronx Bombers last year, with several hurlers struggling. But as the Yankees enter the 2024 season with an improved rotation, will things go right? 

Although the team may still add some pitchers, it looks like their currently constructed pitching staff is nearly final. Despite top-level talent, there are a lot of things the Yankees will have to pray it goes well in the upcoming season. 

The New York Yankees are praying for good pitching form

Almost all of the New York Yankees’ pitchers will go into the 2024 season looking to prove their worth. Furthermore, the team will need a lot of luck for their recovering pitchers to stay in shape. Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Marcus Stroman all faced injury last season and will look for redemption. Rodon was particularly impacted and crumbled during his first year in pinstripes. New York Post’s Joel Sherman shared his thoughts on this in a recent article. 

Sherman said, “As recently as 2022, Cortes, Rodon and Stroman combined for 84 starts, a 2.92 ERA, a .206 batting average against and 11.9 Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement. And also spent just a combined 52 days on the IL, with 13 of those due to illnesses as opposed to an injured body part.” He then focused on the negative aspects saying, “But what if they repeat last season when that trio combined for 53 games (51 starts), a 4.90 ERA, a .240 batting average against and 3.4 WAR? And also spent a combined 275 days on the IL.”

It truly is a polarizing picture for the New York Yankees, whose pitching seems to have a very high ceiling. But a lot of things have to go right for the team this year, which seems highly unlikely at the moment. Furthermore, there is added pressure on some of these pitchers to perform soon. 

Yankees’ pitchers are under pressure to replicate past success

Both Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon were All-Star’s in 2022, while newest addition Marcus Stroman was an All-Star last season. All three of them are under pressure to replicate that kind of form and have decent 2024 season’s overall. It will be interesting to see which of these hurlers rises to the challenge. There is still time until Spring Training, for the players to get into a good rhythm. 

Read More: New York Yankees’ Off-Season Earns Praise, Bombers Target Bullpen Aid as Spring Training Nears

The New York Yankees will heavily depend on pitching and require starters to be on guard following a tough 2023 season. What do you think of the Yankees’ rotation, will they be able to achieve success? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments below.

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