When Marcus Stroman reached the mound for his fourth inning of work against the Orioles on Saturday afternoon, the Yankees right-hander tried to pick the baseball up with a rainbow flick.
He lodged the ball between his heels and hopped on the infield grass, sending it soaring in the air behind him.
Stroman didn’t get enough height to the kick to catch the baseball in the air — the type of flick you’ll see on a soccer field — but even as he bent over on the infield grass to grab it and start his warm ups, it was clear … the right-hander was in his element.
“I think I’m just comfortable in my own skin as a person. I’m just very confident in who I am,” Stroman said in the late innings of a 7-3 loss to Baltimore. “I’m very confident in the work that I put in my entire life, so I go out to the mound very confident. I don’t think anyone goes out as confident as I do. It’s just because I know I’m prepared. I know there’s nothing more that I can do away from the field in order to prepare.”
That confidence was on full display throughout Stroman’s impressive outing against a representative Baltimore lineup. Stroman tossed four scoreless innings, strutting his stuff as he faced only one batter over the minimum with three strikeouts and two hits allowed. Factoring in a few extra pitches in the bullpen — a product of his efficiency — Stroman raised his pitch count up from his second outing of the spring to just below 60.
Saturday’s strong start was even more Stroman-esque in that the starter was making a self-diagnosed adjustment.
Stroman revealed after hitting the showers that he had changed his hand placement this week, keeping them higher in his motion and delivery.
That was news to manager Aaron Boone, who smirked, acknowledging in an approving manner that Stroman is always making tweaks.
“He’s a feel guy,” Boone said. “He’s made a career out of that. His athleticism and his feel for pitching has always been a calling card of his. … Whatever he did, I guess keep doing that.”
Feel is exactly what Stroman harped on while breaking down his adjustment, a move he’s in the process of making in order to be more efficient, simple and compact. He’s obsessive when it comes to watching video and making changes. Being in tune with his body — physically and mentally — is a big part of what he believes has made him successful in this league.
“Anytime you make adjustments like that, they seem small, but they’re pretty drastic because it’s all connected to timing and fluidity,” Stroman said. “Just trying to get reps, trying to become more consistent with my shapes and my body. I think I’m getting there. I’m not where I need to be, but that’s why we have another two, three weeks to go.”
That’s a testament to Stroman’s comfortability thus far this spring. Grapefruit League results aside, this is a pitcher that’s been able to assimilate into the Yankees’ clubhouse seamlessly after signing his two-year deal in January, according to Boone. He’s content and itching to compete in what he called a “beast” of a division this year, craving the expectations that come with his highly-anticipated opportunity to don pinstripes.
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