Former MLB pitcher Marvin Freeman toted the mound for 10 MLB seasons (1986-1996) in various capacities and threw for almost 600 innings.
He works closely with the youth as an important pitching guru for MLB’s Diversity and Development programs, lending his expertise to the next generation of Black and brown pitchers.
When Yankees ace Gerrit Cole went down with right elbow concerns with reports predicting 10-12 weeks on the shelf, the Bro community got excited because the next logical candidate to fill the March 28 Opening Day void in Houston would be veteran hurler Marcus Stroman.
Stroman is built for the big moment and says he came back home to New York to help the Yankees make history.
Stroman would probably love the opportunity, but he has a finely-tuned body that must remain on a delicate schedule in order for him to remain healthy and effective throughout the 162-game grind, plus the playoffs.
Marcus Stroman Faces Second Rehab Journey with a Curveball: A Rib Cage Cartilage Fracture
Stroman made a business decision.
With all that is at stake with his new two-year $37M dollar deal, Stroman prefers to stay on his current schedule, which has the meticulous righty lined up to pitch March 30 (Game 3 of the Astros series), and the April 5 home opener against the Blue Jays, which of course, he prefers.
Family and friends will be in attendance to see the Medford, L.I. kid toss his first inning on the iconic Yankee Stadium hill.
GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone approached Stroman to gauge his interest for the Opening Day assignment.
According to reports, Boone is still holding out hope that Stroman will change his mind, but Stroman isn’t going to start changing routines just because it’s Game 1.
He wasn’t shy about it either.
The way Storman operates is, he locks into a certain mental space and then he’s able to trigger all of the attributes, training and various preparations he puts into gearing up for an MLB season.
Being mentally locked in from the beginning is just as important as how you feel physically.
Stroman failed to make 30 starts in each of his two seasons with the Cubs (25), after leading the league with 33 starts for the New York Mets in 2021.
When the Yankees invested in Stroman, they invested in his program for achieving maximum results.
Therefore, you can’t knock him for refusing the assignment and setting his boundaries.
Do NOT come asking me to do any wacky stuff.
This shouldn’t be a big deal to the Yankees organization or Yankees fans. The long-term success of the team and health of the pitching staff in the wake of Cole’s unforeseen misfortunes, is most important. Let another professional starter on your staff have the honor of pitching an Opening Day. It’s a bucket-lister for any MLB pitcher of any talent level.
For Stroman, there will be many more festive games.
Every game will be a must-win game for Yankees starters as they navigate a brutal AL East Division without the Cy Young award winner and best pitcher in the game.
This certainly wasn’t in the plans, after a productive offseason that saw the Bronx Bombers coral Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham, to balance out the Yankees’ lineup.
Plus, Storman is in the Bronx to get wins and make headlines. He certainly craves that Opening Day slot at the stadium and barring mother nature impeding, he’s not letting anyone take that opportunity away from him.
How many MLBbros have even started an Opening Day for the Yankees?
One to be exact, and his name is CC Sabathia, who started a record six straight Opening Days for the Yankees from the season they signed him in 2009 until 2014. However, only two of those starts came at Yankees Stadium. A 2011 no decision against the Detroit Tigers and a loss to the Boston Red Sox in 2013.
Either way, Stroman will be the second Black pitcher to ever tote the rubber for a Yankees season home-opener.
There’s nothing better than that. Stroman is in the perfect position to start his Yankees career with a bang. No need to disrupt the money train, especially with Cole out for a significant amount of time to begin the 2024 campaign.
Vaughn Grissom‘s groin injury isn’t serious, but it will prolong the 22-year-old’s ascension to every day second baseman for the Boston Red Sox. Manager Joey Cora announced that Grissom will probably miss the entire month of March and possibly be sidelined into April.
Grissom showed flashes of excellence during a 2022 rookie season with the Atlanta Braves, that had him touted alongside NL Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II, as future faces of the Atlanta Braves dynasty in the making. Grissom hit .291 with five homers with five steals and 18 RBI in just 41 games.
In 2023, injuries limited him to just 75 at-bats. When he was in the field, his glove was shaky. With the entire Atlanta Braves infield making the All-Star team, Grissom became expendable and eventually the centerpiece acquisition for the Red Sox in December’s blockbuster trade for veteran hurler Chris Sale. Sale is expected to man the backend of the Atlanta Braves’ talented rotation. Sale has a career record of 120-80 and has finished in the Top 6 of the Cy Young award voting, seven times in his 13-year career.
Grissom is an everyday player and was expected to be the starting second baseman for the Boston Red Sox.
Where Does MLBbro Vaughn Grissom’s Future Lie With the Atlanta Braves?
Manager Alex Cora first spoke about Grissom’s injury on March 2. The 23-year-old has six years left of team control remaining as well, so Grissom is considered to be a part of Boston’s young core moving forward.
Cora believes there’s potential for Grissom to add more power to his game, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports. “We do believe the stronger he gets, mechanics-wise, there’s a few things sequencing-wise, that (hitting coach) Pete (Fatse) has recognized,” Cora said. “If we can get that, we’re going to have the final product.”
The 23-year-old Grissom, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. Fangraphs’ ZiPS projections have Grissom on pace to hit .284 with 10 home runs, 67 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a .771 OPS and a 2.6 WAR in 128 games this season.
Without Grissom, the Red Sox will likely open the year with Enmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes splitting time at second. When he does return, expect him to quickly become a fan favorite of a frustrated Boston Red Sox fanbase.
Former major leaguer Darryl Strawberry posted on Instagram that “all is well” as he recovers from a heart attack suffered on Monday and will be totally recovered well before his scheduled jersey retirement on June 1.
Strawberry, who turned 62 on Tuesday, thanked the medical team at St. Joseph West in Lake St. Louis for helping him through a stent procedure.
Strawberry played 17 years in the major leagues with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees.
The 6-foot-6 multi-talented baller hit 335 homers and drove in 1000 runs and along with teammate Dwight Gooden, led an unprecedented era of winning from 1983, when Strawberry arrived and won NL Rookie of the Year to 1990, when he left to join the LA Dodgers.
Strawberry finished his career as a nine-time All-Star, Strawberry won three World Series, one with the Mets and two with the New York Yankees at the end of his career.
“On behalf of the entire organization we are sending positive thoughts to Darryl Strawberry, his wife Tracy and his entire family after last night’s heart attack,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “Darryl was in Port St. Lucie working with the team as a guest instructor just a few weeks ago. We are looking forward to Straw’s speedy recovery and welcoming him for his number retirement ceremony on June 1.”
This isn’t the first health battle that Strawberry will overcome. He missed the 1998 Yankees’ championship run while being treated for colon cancer. 26 years later, the legend’s No. 18 jersey is scheduled to be retired by the Mets on June 1, in recognition of his role as the top offensive force on the 1986 World Series team that captivated New York and secured their place in MLB lore.
Few players in MLB history have captivated the fans like Darryl Strawberry. When he stepped to the plate, everyone stopped, looked and listened. He could give you 30 steals and 30 bombs; he had a rifle in the outfield and was one of the smoothest ballers you’ll ever see.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 MLB Draft out of Los Angeles, is remembered for his sweet lefty swing where in eight seasons with the Mets, Strawberry would help the team capture two division titles, one pennant, and one world Series title. He is also the franchise leader in career home runs (252), second in RBIs (733) and WAR (36.6), third in OPS (.878), fourth in total bases (2,028) and fifth in stolen bases (191).
Strawberry’s power and grace were his calling cards. On April 4, 1988, Strawberry hit a majestic home run at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. The ball traveled an estimated 525 feet and struck the stadium’s service ring, which was an incredible height of 160 feet above the playing field. Strawberry’s blast is remembered as one of the most memorable and incredible home runs in baseball history. Nobody had hit the ball in that stadium that high and far until Strawberry took Dennis Martinez’ pitched to the moon.
Wishing this Black baseball king and MLBbro a fast recovery.
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