CLEARWATER, Fla. — It won’t take long for Carlos Rodon to have a better spring than last year, but he’s off to a good start.
The Yankees left-hander only made it past one game in the Grapefruit League last spring before his injury problems began, but he appears to be off to a good start this year.
Rodon began the process of distancing himself from a grueling first season in pinstripes by throwing 48 pitches with five strikeouts over 22/3 innings Sunday against the Blue Jays.
“It’s good that I still have swings and misses in my arsenal and I’m building on that bit by bit,” he said.
After a quick inning, Rodon walked two batters, and in the second inning he struck out another batter and got out of trouble with a strikeout.
The last pitch he threw was a cutter (a new addition to his repertoire that he says is “still in development”) in the third inning when Alejandro Kirk hit a home run.
“Carlos was good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Content-wise it was pretty good. It’s another important step for him to go out there and be successful and get to close to 50 pitch three-ups. It’s all progress.”
Rodon’s fastball, which has improved significantly in the offseason and is more consistent, averaged 93.6 mph and peaked at 95.9 mph on Sunday.
He averaged 95.3 mph on the field last season, but was slow to get there last spring.
“I thought it was okay,” Rodon said of his speed. “I didn’t yell back. Be the first. [start], I just wanted to attack the zone, tunnel some pitches and be competitive. ”
Ron Marinaccio notices the difference in having his feet underneath him.
Marinaccio felt healthier last season while battling the after-effects of a shin injury, did a good job in between road trips and felt “really good” in his spring debut Sunday.
In the next inning, he allowed a solo home run and two walks, but blocked the runner he inherited with a strikeout. But he liked the command and velocity of his fastball.
“We’re starting to see some stuff from the ’95s.” [mph] “I’m coming back, so I think that’s a sign that I’m getting my feet back,” he said.
George Lombard Jr. is only 13 games into his professional career, but he hit his first home run in the Grapefruit League. The 18-year-old shortstop, a first-round pick of the Yankees last summer, came from minor league camp Sunday and hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Blue Jays.
“It’s nothing short of amazing, it’s really special,” Lombard said.
Boone watched Lombard during offseason practices at the club’s player development facility and was particularly impressed with his defense.
“I know player development is very excited about him,” Boone said. “He’s done a lot of really good things and opened a lot of eyes.”
Gerrit Cole pitched three innings in live batting practice Sunday and is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday at Steinbrenner Field. Nestor Cortez will start Monday and Clark Schmidt will start Tuesday. Spencer Jones got off to a good start, going 2-for-2 with a walk and going 2-for-2 against the Blue Jays after going 3-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays. … Greg Allen had one out in the eighth inning, hitting first base, saving the Yankees from a no-hitter against the Phillies.
—Additional report by John Heyman of Tampa
