SARASOTA, Fla. — For a pitcher who still wasn’t completely where he wanted to be mechanically, Marcus Stroman was still plenty good enough Saturday.
The Yankees right-hander was much sharper in his second start of the spring, throwing four scoreless, efficient innings against the Orioles while implementing a tweak to his delivery.
Between starts, Stroman changed his hands placement entering his windup, going from near his belt to around his chest.
“I made huge strides [mechanically],” Stroman said after building his pitch count to the high-50s in a 7-3 loss at Ed Smith Stadium. “Any time you make adjustments like that, they seem pretty small but they’re pretty drastic because it’s all connected to timing and fluidity. Just trying to get reps.”
Stroman, who scattered two singles and struck out three, said the higher hand placement makes him more efficient in his delivery.
“I’m already having way better results,” he said. “It’s just allowing me to be repetitive way more consistently. When my hands are low, my hand pump was becoming too inconsistent with the height of it each and every pitch. Putting my hands at my chest, very compact and tight for me is my biggest thing.”
Aaron Boone has praised Nick Burdi’s “nasty” stuff throughout the early part of camp. Saturday, it was on full display, especially in how opposing hitters reacted to it.
One of Burdi’s three strikeouts in the eighth inning came on a slider that had right-handed hitter Errol Robinson backing out of the box because of where the pitch started, only for it to end up in the zone for a called strike three.
“I still think he can tighten up the arsenal a little bit,” Boone said after Burdi allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless frame. “Probably getting a little too deep in certain counts, letting some guys back in. But you see the stuff every time he’s out there. It’s just tightening up execution. He’s in a pretty good spot.”
Anthony Volpe’s flatter bat path continues to pay dividends as the shortstop went 2-for-3 with a line drive the other way and a single back up the middle, continuing to use all fields like he did in the minors.
“Just more adjustability, flatter in the zone,” Boone said of Volpe’s swing. “Little more margin for error.”
Jahmai Jones, claimed off waivers from the Brewers on Wednesday, made his spring debut, coming off the bench to go 1-for-1 with a walk.
He replaced Gleyber Torres at second base, where Boone said he expects Jones to get most of his action, but he will also mix into the outfield moving forward.
“He’s a guy that’s got some power that has gotten on base at a really high clip in his minor league career,” Boone said.