Cy Young winner and New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is looking forward to the new season, setting his sights on a first World Series championship. As he and his fellow pitchers and catchers reported to camp for the first time, he met with the various media to share his thoughts on the upcoming campaign.
‘Hopefully we use it as motivation’
Cole described last year as a ‘disaster’ with poor performances and injuries leading the Yankees to an 82-80 record, their worst since 1992. This did not hamper Cole’s individual performances, however, as he pitched a 2.63 ERA in 33 starts, the best in the American League. His excellent displays meant he was rewarded with the AL Cy Young award, which we won unanimously.
Despite the poor record, 17 wins in the last month meant that the Yankees extended their run of winning seasons to 31, and it is a feat that Cole thinks was important to achieve, saying, "being hamstrung for a great part of the year, there was a lot of grit that showed.
"We have a 30-some consecutive year run of finishing over .500, so when the greater goals faded away, there was a little bit of a rallying factor around that.
"We're not going to be the team, regardless of the position we've been put it, to cash it in at the end of the year, so we continued to push. So there was an element of pride in that , but obviously 'disaster' was an appropriate word.
"Still fresh in our minds, so hopefully we use it as motivation." With the additions of 2019 World Series Champion Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Marcus Stroman amongst others, the Yankees have improved their roster in all areas.
However, after the huge trade to acquire Soto in December, the Yankees lost a lot of starting pitching depth behind Cole. Projected starter Michael King and prospects Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez were dealt to the San Diego Padres, whilst they lost Luis Severino to the New York Mets in free agency. Domingo German also departed following a controversial season in which he pitched a perfect game. Brito and Vasquez started a combined 18 games whilst Severino and German were key components of the rotation, though both greatly struggled at times.
The elite offensive pairing of 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge and Soto should become a formidable force and will take them far, but it will be the quality of pitching which will put teams over the top.
Having missed out on main free agent target Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Los Angeles Dodgers, general manager Brian Cashman pivoted to former Chicago Cubs man Stroman, who joins a strong group alongside Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt.
Cole outlined his opinions on the rotation, one that could be amongst the best in the majors. He said, "The top four guys are former All-Stars. Clarke Schmidt had a career year last year and is looking to go on a really solid innings buildup and a solid body of work.
"... Certainly excited to see what the rest of the rotation and the top five guys can do.
The strength and potential of the rotation heavily relies on health, and in particular the resurgence of Rodon. In 14 starts, he pitched a 6.85 ERA, after starting the season on the injured list. He struggled mightily in his first season in pinstripes, as he ended the campaign with a disastrous outing against the Kansas City Royals, in which he allowed eight earned runs before getting a batter out. Cortes will also be hoping for a healthier season, the left-hander started just 12 times as he suffered with a shoulder injury.
On the Yankees off-season activity, Cole said, "It seems like it was a really focused plan. We added three left-handed bats who acquired 500 or more plate appearances in the past three years, which everyone kind of identified as something we should improve on. We also added great defense and great pitching.
"You can never have enough good players and that's why it's special to be a Yankee. That's the M.O. every offseason -- to continue to get better."
‘We get injured too much as a group’
Whilst there were a number of roster flaws within the team last season, injuries played a big role in the Yankees poor regular season record. The biggest one of all was the absence of Judge for over two months with a torn ligament in his toe, but a number of different players hit the injured list throughout the campaign. The drop-off in performance from Anthony Rizzo came as a result of post-concussion syndrome which he suffered in May and played through until the beginning of August. Giancarlo Stanton missed a month with a hamstring injury early on, and he endured the worst season of his career. The absences and results allowed the Yankees to turn to the youth, and Jasson Dominguez took full advantage of the opportunity, but he too was not able to finish the season as he was diagnosed with a torn UCL. However, his instant impact on the team means that there is plenty of optimism that he will play a crucial role in the line-up once he returns in the summer.
Cole acknowledged that they have to do better as a team, and health may end up being the main obstacle in the Yankees’ pursuit of a 28th title.
"Certainly there were injuries that were outside the normal realm of injuries that impacted us," Cole said. "With that said, we get injured too much as a group. We need to improve."
‘It’s probably the main reason I’m here’
Despite the Yankees not making the playoffs last season, and not winning the World Series since 2009, Cole remains confident that the Bronx is the best place to be to achieve his dream of becoming a champion.
"It's one of the reasons, in fact, it's probably the main reason I am here," Cole said. Though a second consecutive Cy Young award would be welcomed, he assured that this was not his main aim.
"I'm not sure I have any other goals other than to do my job and win a World Series," he said. "I try to keep it simple in that regard."
"It's obviously a really special honor, and I'm very thankful to be able to represent the Yankees and my teammates in receiving that award. With that said, (a second Cy Young) is not on the goal list. To go out there and prepare to win a world championship, that's really at the top of the list."