RODON ROCKED & HECKLED!

 "Rodon, you're a bum!"

It's only Carlos Rodon's second start in Spring Training and it feels like 2023 DeJa'Vu all over again. Rodon pitched just over three innings and gave up three runs. His outing started and ended with a home run....and a frustrated fan who stood up and called Rodon a bum.

I'm sure he wasn't the only one who wanted to do it. It's early in spring training, and there is still time to improve, but I've been saying all winter long we needed a solid number two behind Gerrit Cole. We need another stud pitcher. That voice has been nagging me over and over again and I really just want Rodon to prove me wrong.

I don't know if he can though. I really want him to. I just want this guy to win me over, but I think he's just another Brian Cashman casualty. He's not cut out for the Yankees. He's just a freak side show. In my mind I have this footage on repeat of him turning his back on Matt Blake, and blowing a kiss to the fans last season after a disastrous start and now his comments today just really didn't help, read more HERE.

 

"Obviously on the bookends, some bad fastballs got hit. I didn't really have the true fastball velo that I wanted, but it's one of the days you've got to pitch without the fastball and use some other things. So that was good to feel that in the game that no one really gives a s--t about because it doesn't matter. It's spring training. From the competing side of me, you don’t want to give up the homer in the front end and the homer in the backend, but there were some good pitches in-between.

I think the Yankees made a risky gamble here with Rodon. He's primarily a fastball-slider pitcher, and his fastball velocity was down this game, and he got hammered. We can't afford that in the regular season, and I am not sure that he can mix in his other pitches enough to be successful here.

Thanks for the reminder, Rodon it is spring training, and the games don't count.... but after your failed season last season I want to see you give a "s--t" about every start. We can't afford another return of the 6.85 ERA pitcher from last season. You've got a lot to prove, so you better give a "s--t" otherwise, you don't belong in pinstripes.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj