Carlos Rodon showing he finally feels at home with Yankees

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon did not live up to his six-year, $162 million contract in 2023. 

He didn't make his debut in pinstripes until July 7, and he never truly looked right, posting a 3-8 record in 14 starts with a 6.85 ERA. Per BaseballSavant, he finished in the 11th percentile in Pitching Run Value at -13. 

But in 2024, he looks much more like the pitcher general manager Brian Cashman signed to be a second ace behind Gerrit Cole. After a third straight outing of at least six innings and two or fewer earned runs, Rodon said he's finally settled in in The Bronx. 

"I sit down in the dugout and look around, and I feel pretty comfortable sitting in this stadium," he said per Brian Hoch.

"I thought about that the first month here in April. I'm looking around and I'm like 'this doesn't feel overwhelming anymore. This feels like home.'"

Rodon has come a long way from blowing kisses to booing Yankee fans after a particularly brutal start in an all-around disastrous 2023 campaign.

He's been prone to allowing the early home run, with five of the nine long balls he's given up coming in the first or second inning. But he's been fortunate in the situations he's surrendered them, with all nine homers being solo shots. He's shown the ability to buckle down after early mistakes this year, when last season he would have imploded. 

Part of the reason for the improvement is Rodon's improved arsenal of pitches. 

In 2023, Rodon threw either a four-seam fastball or slider 90 percent of the time, making him very predictable to hitters. 

This year he's introduced a cutter, dropping his four-seamer/slider usage to 80 percent. He's also throwing his changeup just a touch more, and the end result has been a drastically reduced ERA (3.27) and three more wins this season than last already. 

The starting pitching as a whole has been a surprise for Yankee fans, who were understandably concerned when Gerrit Cole was shut down with elbow issues in spring training. But the Yankee starters are boasting the third-best ERA in the major leagues, and it hasn't been carried but the top of the rotation. 

New York's fourth and fifth starters, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, are coming off of the best outings of their careers. 

Schmidt threw eight scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins on May 16, with eight K's and no walks. On May 18, Gil broke Orlando Hernandez's rookie record of 13 strikeouts with 14 of his own against the White Sox with Hernandez in attendance to throw out the first pitch. 

New York (33-15) looks like it could already be the best team in the American League. But with the looming return of the reigning Cy Young winner in Cole, if Rodon can get his home runs under control, they could be the scariest team in the majors.