SARASOTA, Fla. — Marcus Stroman is a pitcher who wasn’t quite where he wanted to be mechanically, but he was still pretty good on Saturday.
The Yankees right-hander has become even sharper in his second start this spring, making minor adjustments to his pitching and efficiently pitching four scoreless innings against the Orioles.
Between starts, Strowman changed the position of his hands in the windup from near his belt to near his chest.
“I have made great progress [mechanically]” Stroman said after increasing his pitch count to the low 50s in a 7-3 loss at Ed Smith Stadium. “Whenever you make an adjustment like that, it seems pretty small, but it’s all about timing and fluidity, so it’s pretty drastic. You’re just trying to get reps.”
Stroman, who had two singles and three strikeouts, said he can hit the ball more efficiently by placing his hands higher.
“We’re already seeing much better results,” he said. “This allowed me to perform reps more consistently. If my hands were in a low position, there would be too much mismatch between the hand pump and the height from pitch to pitch. I put my hands on my chest. , being very compact and tight for me is the biggest thing for me.”
Aaron Boone praised Nick Vardy for being “terrible” throughout early camp. On Saturday, that was on full display, especially in the reactions of opposing batters.
One of Burdi’s three strikeouts in the eighth inning came from a slider. The starting position of the pitch caused right-handed hitter Errol Robinson to retreat outside the box, but the ball only ended up in the strike-three zone.
“I still think he can step up his game a little bit,” Boone said after Bourdy allowed a hit and a walk without scoring. “Maybe we’re going a little too deep in certain counts and bringing some guys back. But every time he’s out there, you see things. We’re just tightening up our execution. He I’m in a pretty good position.”
Anthony Volpe’s flat ball trajectory benefitted him as the shortstop continued to use all fields as he did in the minors, going 2-for-3 with line drives in the opposite direction and one backup up the middle. continuing.
Boone said of Volpe’s swing, “He’s got a lot more adjustment, he’s flatter in the zone.” “There’s a little more margin for error.”
Jamai Jones, who claimed waivers from the Brewers on Wednesday, made his spring debut with one walk and one hit off the bench.
He will replace Gleyber Torres at second base, and Boone said he expects Jones to fill most of that role, but will also be in the outfield going forward.
“He’s a power player who got on base at a really high time in his minor league career,” Boone said.
