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Carlos Rodon is finally starting to look like the pitcher the New York Yankees paid $162 million for.
Over his last three starts, Rodon has thrown 19 innings, allowed just two earned runs, and struck out 22 while walking only four. He’s lowered his ERA to 3.43 and his WHIP to 0.98.
More than the box score, though, the underlying data shows a fundamental shift.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos RodonBrad Penner-Imagn Images
The most obvious change is how he’s using his stuff. The left-hander has started mixing in a sinker, making up about 10% of his arsenal. Opponents are just 1-for-12 against it this season, and it’s helped disguise his four-seamer and slider.
The sequencing is sharper, the mix is less predictable, and hitters aren’t sitting dead red anymore.
His command has also improved.
The 32-year-old is locating his fastball at the top of the zone and burying the slider consistently, rather than yanking it or missing arm-side. His walk rate is down, the first-pitch strike rate is up, and he's forcing hitters to swing at his pitches.
Rodon is also getting deeper into games, averaging fewer pitches per inning and looking far more confident than in the last two years. He’s attacking early in counts and setting the tempo, which was missing during his frustrating 2023 campaign.
After the boos and brutal outings in his first two years in pinstripes, Rodon has quietly become one of the Yankees’ most reliable arms.
Albeit it is just three starts, but it’s enough to think he might be turning a corner. He might not be the ace in name, but with Gerrit Cole out for the season, Luis Gil still sidelined, and Marcus Stroman dealing with a knee issue, Rodon’s resurgence is exactly what the Yankees' rotation needs.
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Over his last three starts, Rodon has thrown 19 innings, allowed just two earned runs, and struck out 22 while walking only four. He’s lowered his ERA to 3.43 and his WHIP to 0.98.
More than the box score, though, the underlying data shows a fundamental shift.
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New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos RodonBrad Penner-Imagn Images
The most obvious change is how he’s using his stuff. The left-hander has started mixing in a sinker, making up about 10% of his arsenal. Opponents are just 1-for-12 against it this season, and it’s helped disguise his four-seamer and slider.
The sequencing is sharper, the mix is less predictable, and hitters aren’t sitting dead red anymore.
His command has also improved.
The 32-year-old is locating his fastball at the top of the zone and burying the slider consistently, rather than yanking it or missing arm-side. His walk rate is down, the first-pitch strike rate is up, and he's forcing hitters to swing at his pitches.
Rodon is also getting deeper into games, averaging fewer pitches per inning and looking far more confident than in the last two years. He’s attacking early in counts and setting the tempo, which was missing during his frustrating 2023 campaign.
After the boos and brutal outings in his first two years in pinstripes, Rodon has quietly become one of the Yankees’ most reliable arms.
Albeit it is just three starts, but it’s enough to think he might be turning a corner. He might not be the ace in name, but with Gerrit Cole out for the season, Luis Gil still sidelined, and Marcus Stroman dealing with a knee issue, Rodon’s resurgence is exactly what the Yankees' rotation needs.
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