The New York Yankees rotation is excellent, quite possibly the best in the league before Frankie Montas‘ injury.
The addition of left-handed star Carlos Rodon certainly gave the unit a huge boost, and MLB teams will have to navigate through Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Montas when he returns.
Even with Montas out, both Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt have the talent to perform as perfectly adequate fifth starters.
But let’s get back to Rodon and the top of the staff.
Everybody knows that his game, and Cole’s too, is based on strikeouts.
Both have upper-90s fastballs and dominant secondaries: in Rodon’s case, it’s the slider, while Cole can get swings and misses with the curve, the slider, and the changeup.
If they are both healthy for most of the 2023 campaign, they have a great chance of making history when it comes to total strikeouts.
“Gerrit Cole is projected for 249 strikeouts, per Steamer, and Carlos Rodón is projected for 234. Just 15 teams since 1900 have had multiple pitchers with 230+ K’s in a season – the Yankees have never done it – Cole has been part of 2 of the 15,” MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.
Gerrit Cole is projected for 249 strikeouts, per Steamer, and Carlos Rodón is projected for 234
just 15 teams since 1900 have had multiple pitchers with 230+ K's in a season
– the Yankees have never done it
– Cole has been part of 2 of the 15
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 17, 2023
Cole joined Cy Young winner Justin Verlander on those 2018-2019 Houston Astros in which they both scored K after K.
Rodon is a similarly talented pitcher with an otherworldly strikeout rate, so the chances are high that Cole will see his name on this list for a third time when all is said and done.
The priority for both, however, is competing for the Cy Young and helping the Yankees win a 28th World Series title.
With a few lineup additions, it’s a very realistic scenario.
