“Things Can Change Quickly” | Dillon Tate Is Back Just In Time To Lengthen and Strengthen Baltimore Orioles Bullpen

“Things Can Change Quickly” | Dillon Tate Is Back Just In Time To Lengthen and Strengthen Baltimore Orioles Bullpen

by | Apr 18, 2024 | THE LEAD OFF

Dillon Tate has been very steady since his return from his forearm and elbow injury, holding an ERA of 1.29 and securing a win for the 2024 season. 

 

Tate had a wild and uncertain recovery. MLBbro.com was all over Tate in 2022. It was a breakout season season that put him on the radar as a melanated mound marauder.

Tate Missed Entire 2023 Season 

 

 

It was very unexpected, but back in June of 2023, Tate was experiencing discomfort and got a second opinion on his elbow and forearm. This would essentially be the reason for his absence throughout the whole season. 

 

Tate’s rehab started shortly after the surgery which followed his proper diagnoses of a right forearm strain. He then jumped on track for a return to activity in the bullpen. 

 

Tate worked diligently and effectively to get back out there with his team. The Orioles coaching staff and manager were very reluctant to put him on full-mound work. This injury was a big blow to Baltimore. Tate was a great bullpen arm who can get some big strikeouts in crunch time. His absences hurt the O’s in the long run. Last season the O’s clinched the AL East with 101 wins, however their bullpen was at its weakest as they entered the playoffs. 

In 2022, Tate established himself as a young MLBbro hurler on a rising Orioles team.

 

 

The return of Tate was highly anticipated, he would return on Jackie Robinson Day, earning his first win of the season. He entered the game and started a bit rocky, but he would find his control to pick up the win. 

 

Tate caught up with Charles Nyonga of MLBbro.com to talk about his win. 

 

Preparation Is The Key To Dillon Tate’s Success

 

 

“Things can change quickly, being prepared is the best things you can do,” Tate told MLBbro. 

 

This year Tate could be the biggest addition to the O’s. He might be the arm out of the bullpen that they need. In a highly competitive AL East, the O’s definitely can end the season at the top of the standings. 

 

The O’s are rounding out to be an overall good team. Fellow MLBbro Cedrick “CM Storm” Mullins is leading the charge for this team and creating a spark in the clubhouse. 

With the team hitting on all cylinders at the start of the season, Tate and the bullpen can fall right in line. Tate will continuously work on getting back to full form. By mid-season, if he can put up great numbers out of the bullpen, then the O’s will have an advantage over most teams in the later innings. 

 

Dillion Tate’s 2024 season is just getting started. He has confidence, swagger and the arsenal to be a great reliever in the majors. His last outing showed a glimpse of what he’s capable of doing in his redemption season.

Marcus Stroman Declines Opening Day Start | Shortsighted Yankees Fans Are Upset, But Stroman Will Pitch Plenty Of Big Games

Marcus Stroman Declines Opening Day Start | Shortsighted Yankees Fans Are Upset, But Stroman Will Pitch Plenty Of Big Games

by | Mar 16, 2024 | THE LEAD OFF

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. 

 

Marcus Stroman Refuses Opening Day Start 

 

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. 

 

“I think they thought I was going to be like, ‘Hey, let me get it,’ ” Stroman said of the conversation after a Spring Training outing against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday.

“But like I said, that’s not my nature, man. Doesn’t matter to me.”

 

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. 

 

Marcus Stroman Doesn’t Want To Break Routine To Cover Cole’s Opening Day Start 

 

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. 

 

“People don’t understand how much changing your schedule at this point in the spring — might seem like it’s easy — but every little day matters,” said Stroman, who has pitched in three Opening Days, including last year for the Cubs.

 

Yankees Should Be Thinking Long-Term 

 

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. 

 

Stroman Makes MLBbro History With Second Yankees Home-Opener Start 

 

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.