The New York Yankees brought home a New York City homegrown talent to the Bronx as reinforcements to the starting rotation. Right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman is now a Yankee after spending time with various clubs, including the opposite borough in Queens with the Mets.
The Yankees did not land Chris Sale and were not successful with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Josh Hader was also an option for the bullpen but even that was a fail. Luckily the New York native expressed interest in putting on the pinstripes and the Bronx bombers were receptive to the idea.
Marcus Stroman has tremendous experience as a starting pitcher and is trusted in various situations. He came up with the Toronto Blue Jays organization and grew into a big game pitcher, gaining early playoff experience and faced adversities which he was able to push through. Through various teams including the Mets and the Cubs, Stroman also competed on the international stage, both for Team USA and Puerto Rico in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics.
Stroman is entering the land of baseball where the fate of your career is tested to the limits. His demeanor and mindset are built for such environment and his antics match the dog-like attitude in the Bronx. The right-handed New Yorker fits the grit of the city and the culture of Yankees baseball.
Behind New York’s ace Gerrit Cole, Stroman brings a competitive and elite profile to the rotation. Height doesn’t measure heart; this is the name of Stroman’s brand and it speaks truth. His height is unlike the typical pitcher profile but offers extreme athleticism and pitch-ability. With a dynamic wind-up, delivery, and toying timing mechanisms, Stroman will shape up counts like play-doh and carve up hitters with ease.
His repertoire is beyond elite and will weaponize each option to make it effective. He offers six options led by a sinker with the highest usage percentage. He’s able to throw this for a looking and swinging strike and can locate this pitch well. It drops 29.7 inches at 91mph and a 21.2 put-away percentage. The slurve is the second most used pitch that spins at 2763rpm with a 30.6 whiff percentage. This seems to be his out pitch and used in vulnerable hitter counts. He also offers a four-seam fastball, split-finger, and slider, which can all be located well and used to lead-off counts.
Stroman is a strikeout machine; in 2023 he struck out 119 hitters and walked 52. In 2022 he struck out 119 and walked 36. In 2021 he struck out 158 hitters and walked only 44. The strikeout-to-walk ratio is phenomenal, along with a 3.95 ERA last season. The numbers don’t lie and his profile will be very workable in the American League East.
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