The MLB regular season is quickly winding down, with teams jockeying for playoff position with about 10-12 games left in the regular season.
One team on the cusp of excellent positioning to have home-field advantage throughout the postseason is down in the Bronx in the New York Yankees. The Yankees have the best record in the AL at (89-63), with the Cleveland Guardians only two losses back in the loss column at (89-65). As we approach the final stretch, every game determines the playoff picture.
Marcus Stroman To Bullpen?
As the Yankees gear up to unleash their full potential heading into the postseason, they recently made a significant change to their starting rotation by moving starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to the bullpen.
This bold move aims to optimize their starting rotation, features Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Nestor Cortes. This past month, Stroman’s performance started to go downhill, as he had an ERA of 6.75 in September in the three games he pitched against the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Seattle against the Mariners.
In the games against the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, Stroman’s performance was less than stellar. His ERA was 4.03 and 4.07 in these losses, respectively. At one point, Stroman’s ERA was a concerning 8.00, and he allowed 16 hits and eight earned runs in just nine innings. These numbers, coupled with the postseason approaching, prompted GM Aaron Boone to make a change in the starting rotation.
With Stroman’s struggles, many are questioning whether he’ll be on the Yankees’ playoff roster come October. Stroman will be in the bullpen as a relief pitcher until further notice, as the Yankees’ pitching depth is deeper with guys back healthy. Stroman signed a two-year, $37 million deal with the Yankees in January, including a player option.
The Yankees hope the former All-Star will find his confidence and rhythm before the start of the postseason as they look to make a World Series run.
In his first season with the New York Yankees, Marcus Stroman has been a contributing piece to the Yankees pitching rotation.
After struggling during the middle of the summer, Stroman has bounced back and put together dominating performances in his recent outings. In his last three starts, Stroman has a 2.25 ERA after posting a whopping 6.32 ERA in his previous 10 starts.
On Sunday, Stroman, pitched five innings and allowed three runs in securing the Yankees a 10-3 win. He also got a front row seat to witness Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton accomplish a feat that had not been done since Sept. 17, 2020. The tanking-trio went back-to-back-to-back.
Soto smoked the ball for 418 feet to right-center field, Judge bro bombed one 377 feet and Stanton followed up with the most majestic shot, a 425-foot to center field.
After the game, Stroman, who remains one of the go-to voices on the team in both tough and triumphant moments, said, “I mean, it’s hard to put into words, to be honest. It’s truly special. I think we take it for granted what these guys are doing each and every day. What Cap is doing is truly incredible. You know, it’s historic, and it might never be done again. It’s just very fun to witness, amazing to be around, and I try not to get lost in taking it for granted, like I feel we all do.
It just seems like hitting a home run every day is very normal for him [Aaron Judge]. And obviously, what Soto’s been doing before him is scary, scary. So, Stanton obviously going back-to-back-to-back, that’s incredibly fun. Like I said, having those guys swinging it gives the pitchers and the whole team more confidence.”
With the Yankees clinging on to the top spot in the American League East Division, Stroman will look to continue to put his team in positions to win games as the season is winding down.
Marcus Stroman Can Reach Career-High in Wins
The two-time All-Star has a 9-6 record with a 3.88 ERA and 97 strikeouts. His nine wins are third best on the team and he has the opportunity to set a new career-high in wins before the season is over.
His current career-high in wins is 13, which he set back in 2017 with the Toronto Blue Jays. During the last four seasons, Stroman has ended the season with an ERA under four.
With the Yankees being one of the top teams in the AL, there’s a strong chance that Stroman gets another opportunity to appear in the postseason. He’s only appeared in the playoffs two times in his career, coming in 2015 and 2016, both with Toronto. In five postseason starts, he is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA.
One thing about Stroman is that he’s a competitor. Whether he’s coming off a bad performance or one of his best outings, he’s going to go out there and compete.
Marcus Stroman Struggled In July
During the month of July, Stroman made four starts and finished with an 0-2 record and finished with a 5.50 ERA. Not an ideal stretch for a pitcher, and it didn’t get any better in his first start during the month of August.
Against the Blue Jays, Stroman allowed seven earned runs on eight hits and did not make it out of the second inning. Going through a rough patch like that can have you asking a ton of questions, wondering what you need to do to change the outcome.
As mentioned before, Stroman will always compete no matter the situation. And during his start on August 11th against the defending World Series champs, he did just that. He went five innings against the Texas Rangers allowing just one run as he picked up his first win in six appearances.
Stroman Slump Over: Rounding Into Playoff Form
After that performance, he locked in and followed up with two impressive starts.
He made the start in the Little League World Series Classic game against the Detroit Tigers. Even though the Yankees lost to the Tigers in walk-off fashion, Stroman was on the money in that game.
He was signed to help the Yankees go deep in the playoffs. When Gerrit Cole was out at the beginning of the season, Stroman picked up the slack by pitching almost lights out through first five starts.
The playoffs will determine his Yankees legacy and Stroman knows this well. He’s hoping to be at his best when October rolls around.
Aaron Boone’s been pleased with Stroman’s last few starts.
“I thought he was just real sharp,” Boone said. “I thought he was better this time even than last time. Real efficient. Was attacking the zone but also with command.”
If he can continue to remain consistent, attack the zone, and keep hitters off balanced, Stroman will be in a good position once the postseason comes and he’s pitching in a must win game for the Yankees. When the pressure is one, he wants the ball in his hands.
Aaron Judge is on track to have one of the best offensive seasons in Major League history.
His two-homer game Wednesday highlighted another week where he finished with a batting average above .400, earning him his regular place atop our #HighFive list for Week 20.
1. Aaron Judge
With offense down across the Majors, what Aaron Judge is doing at the plate in 2024 is much more special than I think most people realize.
Consider this: Judge entered Thursday leading the Majors in home runs, RBI, OBP, slugging percentage, extra base hits and total bases while sitting second in batting average and walks.
Comparing his numbers now to his record-breaking 2022 season through 127 games, he has driven in more runs and has a higher in average, slugging percentage and OPS while sitting just two home runs off his pace.
Judge homered three times in the first two games of the Yankees series against the Guardians, including two on Wednesday night to raise his league leading total to 47.
The “dog days” of August do not seem to be slowing him down as this has been the best month of what will likely be his second career MVP season.
With a little over a week to go this month, he is slashing .450/.577/.933 with eight home runs, 18 RBI and 17 walks (eight of them being intentional.
2. Simeon Woods Richardson
Simeon Woods Richardson makes our #HighFive list for a second straight week thanks to two quality starts that led to two Twin wins.
Friday, in his home state of Texas against the Rangers he threw five innings and allowed just two runs on three hits.
Then on Wednesday, in hostile territory against a playoff hopeful San Diego Padre team, he went five innings allowing only one run on four hits and added seven strikeouts.
Woods Richardson continues to stack good starts together in what has been somewhat of a surprising rookie year.
That makes two solid starts in a row for Stroman, who struggled to end July and to begin August.
On Sunday he went six shutout innings, giving up just four hits and striking out five.
This after allowing just one run in five innings against the Rangers in his previous start.
Stroman also shined off the field last week when he awarded two $25,000 scholarships to two New York area college freshmen for his HDMH Foundation.
Although no date has been set, he should be slated to start against the Rockies in Yankee Stadium this weekend.
4. James Wood
With each passing week, James Wood gets more comfortable at the Major League level, leaving me to believe that by next season, he will find himself in the conversation for the best outfielders in the National League.
In his last seven games he is slashing .409/.500/.636 with four RBI, a home run and a stolen base.
Woods had his fourth career three-hit game on Wednesday and has hit baseballs harder than most of the Majors since he was called up.
At the young age of 21 he is fifth in the league in average exit velocity, trailing only Aaron Judge, Ohtani, Juan Soto and O’Neil Cruz
The MLB season is going into the final stretch with less than 40 games left.
Now that the All-Star Game and trade deadline are in the rearview mirror, the contenders are battling for playoff seedings while the rest of the teams are getting ready for changes in the offseason.
For MLBbro.com, it’s time to check in on the progress of MLBbros not named Aaron Judge or Mookie Betts and how they stack up against their peers.
MLBbro.com has a weekly version of the top five players who have stood out for their respective teams…
But now this top five list will be expanded to the top five African-American pitchers in baseball up until this point in the season.
Believe it or not, one of the pitchers is on the board as one of the top five players of the week.
Hunter Greene (Cincinnati Reds):
The Reds franchise and its fan base had to be scared when our MLBbro went on the IL for elbow soreness. Luckily for the team and Hunter, the injury is not serious and he could be back on August 29.
Greene is one of the cornerstones of the franchise with the Reds investiing $53 million contract extension guaranteed through the 2028 season.
Up until the injury, Hunter Greene was on the shortlist for the NL Cy Young Award.
His 9-4 record with a 2.83 ERA (third in the league), 1.02 WHIP (5th) and 162 strikeouts (4th) in only 143 ⅓ innings shows why.
With his bobblehead promotions rewarding school kids for good grades or shoe donations for high school kids and potential players in Africa, Greene is making a difference on and off the field as a role model.
Marcus Stroman (New York Yankees):
This MLBbro is so high on the list because the Yankees need him to perform at a high level not only to hang on to the American League East but more importantly, a World Series run.
His 8-6 record with a 3.82 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92 strikeouts is solid but not enough for the famous “Championship or Bust” Yankees fanbase.
After a midseason slump that ballooned his ERA to 4.10, two strong starts seemingly have him back on the right track.
With a bullpen that has been inconsistent, the Yanks need more Stroman starts to last well past the fifth inning with the precise pitching shown in his last two starts.
Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota Twins):
Simeon Woods Richardson is still developing as a starting pitcher after coming over to Minnesota in the Jose Berrios trade.
After trying to gain footing with the velocity of his fast ball, our MLBbro has found a spot in the rotation as the middle to back of the rotation starter. With over 100 innings, an ERA of 3.78 and a 1.18 WHIP, Woods Richardson is moving in the right direction.
But that has come with hard work and changes in his pitching mechanics…
simeon woods richardson has now reached 97.2 mph as his max velo
he & the #mntwins have done a fantastic job improving some of his actions
1. arm slot
2. shoulder direction
3. more extension through back hip ride 🚫 pushing from toes
If this keeps up, Simeon Woods Richardson will be near the top of the rotation before you know it.
Taj Bradley (Tampa Bay Rays):
Taj Bradley’s performance this season basically mirrors Tampa Bay’s.
As of Tuesdsy afternoon, the team’s record is .500 (62-62) and so is Bradley’s (6-8). A slow start due to a right pectoral muscle in spring training held him out until May 10. His 3.55 ERA doesn’t knock anyone out of their socks on the surface but considering a 1-4 record and a 5.81 ERA at the beginning of June, his run in July was Cy Young worthy!
How did he do it?
Bradley had an eight game start stretch that would have made Dwight Gooden proud.
From June 8 through late July, our MLBbro posted an ERA of 0.92 which was the lowest in the majors.
The 2018 150th pick of the Rays has thrived moving up the pipeline to becoming one of the more consistent pitchers on Tampa Bay’s staff.
Triston McKenzie (Cleveland Guardians) currently in the minors:
An MLBbro.com favorite, “Sticks” exploded on the scene in 2020 as Cleveland’s number one prospect. The improvements kept coming through the 2022 season.
Then the UCL injuries derailed his career from missing most of the 2023 season and the ultimate decision to send him to the minors this season.
With this being an arbitration-eligible season, McKenzie decided to forego surgery and go the rehab route.
Meanwhile, Triston could look to develop a sinker to add to his portfolio of pitches that are losing velocity.
To get that velocity back, surgery might be the only option to keep this MLBbro from being one of the biggest “What ifs” in MLBbro history.
The gap between Aaron Judge and the rest of the field stretches further apart with each passing week. As he keeps hitting, the Yankees keeps on winning and this week he swung his bat to the tune of a .423 average with four home runs and 13 RBI to earn the top spot on our Week 11 #HighFive list.
1. Aaron Judge
The King of New York sits atop of the #HighFive list for the fourth time in the last five weeks and by the looks of it, he may never give up his spot on the throne.
Right now Judge is leading the Majors in home runs, RBI, OPS, walks and a slugging percentage that sits at .702. That number would be the highest in the league since Barry Bonds had an .812 in 2005.
In the much anticipated matchup between the Dodgers and Yankees last weekend, Judge was at his best.
He finished the three-game series 7-for-15 with three home runs, five RBI, three walks and a double.
2. David Hamilton
Rookie shortstop David Hamilton, who is becoming a fan favorite in Boston, was known most for his defense during his time in the Red Sox Minor League system, but he cracks his first ever #HighFive list due to his excellence at the plate.
Hamilton, who was one of the pieces in the trade that sent former Gold Glover Jackie Bradley Jr. to Milwaukee has been hitting over .300 for a month plus now.
He recorded multiple hits in five of his last six games and four in a row entering Thursday, and his 13 steals put him in the top eight for the American League.
Over the last seven games, he is slashing .379/.400/.724 with two home runs, four RBI and four steals.
Hamilton will get his first taste of one of the biggest rivalries in sports: Yankees vs Red Sox this weekend.
3. Marcus “Stro Show” Stroman
Marcus Stroman lowered his ERA to 2.82 after another solid outing, this time against the Kansas City Royals to grab a spot on the #HighFive for a fourth week in a row.
He is tied for the league lead in starts allowing no earned runs with five as he went 5.2 shutout innings allowing four hits and walking three Tuesday night.
Stroman, who got 11 of those outs via his sinker, spoke to reporters postgame on its effectiveness:
“The sinker has always been my bread and butter,” said Stroman.
“I always rely heavily on that and feel that the pitching staff have done a great job helping me pair it with my other pitches as well.”
Stroman will bring his “Stro Show” into Fenway Park for Sunday Night Baseball Sunday in his next start against fellow #HighFive member David Hamilton and the Red Sox.
4. Royce Lewis
Royce Lewis was one of my picks for breakout player of the year in Major League Baseball.
A quad injury put a hold on that campaign, but he has returned with a vengeance since being taken off the Injured List to earn the four spot on the #HighFive.
Lewis is hitting .321 with a .821 slugging percentage, four home runs and seven RBI since his return from that 10-week absence.
“For me it is a matter of doing what all my teammates, staff and family have been telling me, which is stay healthy,” Lewis told reporters after going 3-for-5 with a homer and double Wednesday against the Rockies.
“Obviously I know that, so the goal is to keep fighting to be out there every day and have fun with my teammates.”
5. Jazz “Bahamian Blur” Chisholm
All eyes were on Jazz Chisholm Jr. this week after an anonymous player poll by The Athletic rated him as the most overrated player in Major League Baseball.
From being the cover boy for MLB The Show 2023 to being singled out by Marlins veteran players for his pregame outfits and on field style last season, this is not Chisholm’s first rodeo when it comes to his skills being put into question on the national spotlight.
He responded with a solid week at the plate, hitting .294 with a home run and two RBI in his last five games.
There is major star power inside of Chisholm, who I believe will be the Marlins’ representative at this year’s All-Star Game.
The problem has been getting him to reach the level of focus needed to obtain that on a nightly basis.
He can play just about every spot defensively on the diamond minus catcher, first and pitcher while having power to all fields on offense but will need to cut his strikeout numbers down tremendously.
This weekend Chisholm and his Marlins visit the Nation’s Capital to face the Nationals.
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