Stroman's Starter Stance Doesn't Gel With Sunday's Bad Outing
Marcus Stroman has made it clear—he’s a starter. No debate. But if you take a stance that strong, you better back it up. Unfortunately, Sunday’s outing against the Braves did little to silence the skeptics.
Heading into spring training without a guaranteed spot, the Yankees are giving Stroman a chance to prove himself. However, after Sunday’s brutal 11-1 loss to Atlanta, doubts about his future in the rotation only intensified.
Stroman’s struggles began early. After allowing a hard-hit line drive for the first out, he served up back-to-back home runs to Austin Riley and Matt Olson in the first inning. His biggest issue? Too many pitches left up in the zone, a mistake Atlanta’s hitters didn’t let slide.
Pinstripes Nation summed it up perfectly: “It’s becoming increasingly clear that Stroman’s success depends on keeping the ball on the ground. When Atlanta got pitches to hit in the middle of the plate, they didn’t miss.”
The outing didn’t get much better. Boone pulled Stroman after just 2.2 innings and 43 pitches. By that point, though, the damage was done, and Atlanta cruised the rest of the way. The Yankees’ bullpen didn’t fare much better, getting knocked around in what turned into a forgettable day for the team.
Despite the rough start, Stroman has a real opportunity to solidify himself in the Yankees’ rotation, especially with injuries to Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. He’s been adamant that he’s a starter and isn’t backing down from that belief. Credit to him for standing his ground.
Still, baseball is a results-driven business. The Playoffs put it bluntly: “MLB is a ruthless business. Teams will toss a player aside in a heartbeat if it suits them (just as the Yankees were planning to do), so if you don’t look out for yourself, you’ll get crushed. Marcus Stroman is simply ensuring that doesn’t happen.”
That’s the reality. Now, Stroman needs to clean up his mistakes and prove he belongs. His next start will be crucial. One bad outing doesn’t define a pitcher, but in New York, the margin for error is razor-thin especially when it comes to Stroman right now.
Let’s see what happens next.
Source: http://bleedingyankeeblue.blogspot.com/2025/03/stromans-starter-stance-doesnt-gel-with.html
