RAISE HEALTH
Cy winner says Bombers get 'injured too much' Cole: Staying on field imperative for rotation
TAMPA — The most decorated season of Gerrit Cole’s career was the Yankees’ worst in 32 years.
And while Cole appreciates the Cy Young award that he received after posting a 2.63 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 209 innings, he still would prefer a World Series championship. In order for the Yankees to help him do that, they may need to take a page out of his book — not necessarily in any of the league-leading stats he puts up, but in his ability to stay on the field and do his job every five days.
Asked on Thursday, with a few months to process it, how he evaluated the Yankees’ 82-80 season, Cole didn’t waste much time in getting his point across.
“Certainly there were injuries that are outside of the normal realm of injuries that have impacted us,” Cole said after throwing a bullpen session at Steinbrenner Field.
“With that said, we get injured too much as a group. We need to improve.”
While that applies to the entire roster — and the lineup had its fair share of injuries that were detrimental to the team last season — it is especially the case for the rotation that Cole is about to anchor. Behind him is the chance for high potential, but also high risk with pitchers who have battled health issues.
Around this time last year, there was talk of the Yankees having one of the best rotations in the game. Instead, Cole and Clarke Schmidt were the last men standing as the rotation crumbled around them, with Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas all battling injuries that derailed their seasons.
Rodon and Cortes are back from that group and by all accounts turned in strong offseasons that should better position them to have success in 2024. But now they have to go out and prove they can stay healthy over the course of a full year.
The Yankees are also banking on clean seasons from Marcus Stroman, who battled injuries in the second half last year, and Schmidt, who is coming off throwing the heaviest workload of his career.
“Clearly the health is going to be the most important aspect of it,” general manager Brian Cashman said of his rotation. “If we can keep them healthy, we should be able to pitch with anybody. But the health is always going to be the big key. So far, it looks like everybody’s put a lot of work in with that endgame. Hopefully they’ll be in a position to remain healthy.”
Cole threw plenty of praise in the direction of Stroman, someone he has admired across the field as “one of the highest and fiercest competitors that we have in this game.” He said Stroman’s approach as a ground-ball pitcher gives the rotation a different look, “which I think is important.”
As for Rodon, Cole said he expected the left-hander to “handle his business like a pro, like he is,” and noted that he has been working out in Tampa for over a month. Rodon didn’t make it out of spring training last year before getting hurt, which set the tone for his first season in pinstripes after signing a six-year, $162 million contract. The Yankees brought him in to be a strong No. 2 behind Cole, but he wasn’t able to live up to that billing in Year 1.
“I think we’d all be thrilled if he could return back to that peak form,” Cole said. “With that said, we can win a lot of games if he’s just out there competing for us, because he’s just such a tremendous competitor and he wants the ball. Those attributes are what I’d most expect from him and what I’ve already seen so far.”
On the rotation as a whole, Cole cited “a lot of potential” and “some hungry individuals, for sure.” But they will need good health, too, in order to provide a strong supporting cast behind Cole.
“You can score as much as you want, but the pitching’s always the keys to the kingdom,” Cashman said. “Especially where you want to go, which is a successful postseason team.”