Spring training is, though, seemingly the stepping stone to entering the regular season; the importance of its results barely carries any value to the veterans. Thus, despite getting a shaky result in the spring training, the New York Yankees’ Carlos Rodon maintains a positive vibe all along. Looking at the bigger picture, he identified the spring training as a warm-up activity despite giving four homers.

The starting pitcher, Carlos Rodon, faced a significant setback in the previous season and took all the possible measures to improve his form. Now as the spring training hit the ground, he brought forth a positive approach despite a muzzy outcome on Friday afternoon.

Carlos Rodon remains enthusiastic about “competing”

During the Friday afternoon practice at the Steinbrenner Field, one of the Yankees’ major hopes, Carlos Rodon, built a pitch count of 52 while giving up four home runs to his teammates. When asked about the same, he depicted his ever-enthusiastic self.

He said, “I’m always competing. I don’t want to give up that [many] homers. But I’m glad I gave it up to our guys, make them feel good about themselves. I had some good sequences there at the end of the lefties. Got to work in some curveballs and work on the cutter. So that was good.”

Though his remark indicates his nonchalant approach to the outcomes, he didn’t forget to identify his rooms for improvement throughout the practices.

Rodon initiated split-squad games last Sunday and dived into batting practices on Friday. His practice session let him identify the scope for his improvements as he said, “But most of the work was the cutter-fastball, slider-fastball, curveball-fastball combo. So there’s work with sequencing,” highlighting his sensitive side. Like Rodon, there are other Yankees, such as Anthony Rizzo, who claimed two spring home runs under his belt, showing improvements compared to his previous season’s form.

Read More: New York Yankees’ Nestor Cortes Jr. Reveals Spring Training Progress, Shares Carlos Rodon Milestone Amidst Redemption Hopes

While taking notes from their 2023 season’s performance, the Yankees are working on their respective areas to make a robust return in the 2024 regular season. Talking about the same, the exceptional pitcher Carlos Rodon becomes extra careful about his weight as he trimmed 255 pounds from the previous year after spending an injury-laden season in 2023.

As a matter of fact, his velocity has reportedly increased as the team’s manager, Aaron Boone, stated, “From where he is right now to 12 months ago, it’s night and day.” Boone extended his thoughts on Rodon’s latest outing as well.

Regarding Friday’s outing, the skipper is encouraged beyond results

The team has identified a significant upgrade in his as well as in the overall team’s performance. Similar to most of the other Yankees, manager Boone is also encouraged irrespective of the spring training results. The skipper said, “His stuff’s coming out really well, shapes are good, metrics of everything look really good. [Last spring] it wasn’t coming out as crisp as it is now.”

Now, as the team is about to step into the regular season, fans are expecting to encounter a performance similar to their words. With their heightened enthusiasm, they may have a fair chance of holding onto their fans’ aspirations.

Read More: Carlos Rodon’s 2024 Projections: Ready to Bounce Back as an All-Star Force?