Major League Baseball

Carlos Rodón: 'I believe in myself, whether [the Yankees] trust me or not'

Updated Mar. 29, 2024 2:11 p.m. ET

The word "if" is the underlying theme of the Yankees' season. Nobody on the roster understands the weight of that word better than Carlos Rodón.

If Rodón is healthy and effective, the Yankees' rotation will be in decent shape without injured ace Gerrit Cole for the next two months. If Rodón is unable to regain his form and dramatically improve upon — shield your eyes — last season's 6.85 ERA, New York is in trouble.

It's a simplified way of describing the backdrop of the Yankees' win-now season. But those are the divergent paths the club is facing as Rodón, one of baseball's biggest wild cards, prepares to play a crucial role in year two of his six-year, $162 million pact with the Bronx Bombers.

"I believe in myself," Rodón told FOX Sports in a recent interview. "Whether [the Yankees] trust me or not, it doesn't really matter. I'm the one taking the ball. I control my own attitude and what I do on the mound."

For now, the Yankees are trusting Rodón, who will make his 2024 debut today against the Astros. Even as New York's starting pitchers made their way to Tampa, Florida for spring training in February, and especially after it was announced that Cole would miss a chunk of the season, the Yankees never hit the panic button. They took stock of who was left in the rotation — Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt and Rodón — and decided that their in-house talent, including Luis Gil winning the fifth starter job, would get them through the beginning of the year without the reigning AL Cy Young winner.

The Yankees' decision to roll with the starters they have isn't only based on faith. The club was highly encouraged by Rodón's work ethic and dedication this offseason. Rodón started throwing in November, which was earlier than usual. He placed more importance on his movements, making sure to access the range of motion in his hips and create power in his body. Then he made his way to Tampa in January. To the delight of Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, Rodón showed up to spring training ahead of schedule in terms of his throwing program and conditioning, looking noticeably slimmer and more agile.

Blake immediately noticed a key difference in Rodón's arsenal, which was aided by his drop in weight. Last February, Rodón's fastball sat at 89-91 mph, and touched 92 mph in his live batting practice sessions, per Blake. This February, Rodón's fastball was already at 94-95 mph and touched 97 mph, according to the pitching coach. Blake believes Rodón's early start, combined with his improved physicality, has helped the southpaw build a strong foundation.

"If we can bottle up what he's doing right now, and continue to refine the consistency of it, we'll be in a really good spot," Blake told FOX Sports. "The power has definitely advanced, and it seems like he's accessing it easier."

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That the Yankees never responded with outside help to Cole's elbow injury, which comes with an uncharted amount of absence, only puts more pressure on Rodón. Cole's Cy Young production and importance to the Yankees rotation is irreplaceable, to be sure. But if Rodón, in his age-31 season, can carry out a resurgence that mimics his 2.67 ERA for the White Sox and Giants in 2021-22, then Cole's injury will be a little easier to forget. The Yankees are challenging Rodón to answer the call.

"I don't think Carlos needs any more pressure than the perceived pressure that's on him," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters in Tampa. "Coming in last year and going through the injury situation that he had and then having a down year and not performing up to his standard, there's plenty of noise around that, with Gerrit Cole here or Gerrit Cole out. He wants to put last year behind him. So, is there more pressure? Everyone's watching Carlos right now."

Rodón's biggest test of spring came last Saturday afternoon in Tampa, when he faced the Phillies for his final Grapefruit League start. Rodón is an emotional pitcher, so the confidence he feels when he pitches is a critical part of his game. He had thrown 5.2 hitless innings against Philadelphia just a week earlier, but on this day he traipsed through his first two innings. Rodón's body language slumped on the mound once Bryson Stott ripped a single to right field, the southpaw dipping his chin to his chest in defeat before Stott's liner even found the grass.

After his second frame, Rodón huddled with Boone and Blake in the dugout. Rodón, expressing his thoughts with furrowed brows, was ruffled as he analyzed the start to his outing.

"He was frustrated," Boone said. "He's allowed to be frustrated."

What happened next was a positive sign that the Yankees hope will translate into the regular season. After Rodón's vent session in the dugout, he took the mound in the third inning and put up a goose egg. Rather than allow those subpar second-inning results to spiral into the next inning, Rodón was able to stop the bleeding. Instead of carrying his frustration into a brand-new frame, Rodón stared down Bryce Harper and got the slugger to line out on his patented slider. The billowing dissatisfaction that had carried Rodón into the dugout just one inning prior was nowhere to be found. He was calm, and he took care of business. Alas, Rodón ran into another rough inning in the fourth, as two singles were compounded by two errors and led to a pair of unearned runs.

"He's one of those guys that toes the line," Blake said of Rodón. "He needs to redline it at times to be who he really is. He fuels his game. The fastball needs some adrenaline to be that top-end pitcher, but he can go over the red line and all of a sudden he's off the rails."

Those emotions, which Rodón referred to as a double-edged sword, are one of the elements of his game that he's trying to better control this year. Rodón saw the negative effects of letting his emotions go rampant last July, when he blew a kiss to Yankees fans who were heckling him in Anaheim. In just his third start as a Yankee, Rodón acted on his emotions — which he now calls "stupid" and "passive-aggressive" — and dropped the first indication that he might not be built for the Big Apple's bright lights. This season, though, Rodón is ready to show the Yankees fan base that he learned from his mistake.

"My mindset is a little bit different this year," Rodón said. "Playing in New York, there's more magnitude, there's a lot more eyes, which is great. I love it because, who doesn't want to be a New York Yankee? But there's more mindfulness to it, for sure. I guess I'm a little wiser because I'm a little bit older. So, there's more maturity there."

Rodón's intention to be more mindful came into focus this winter. After the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, he said he turned the page and put his performance — one of the worst pitching seasons in Yankees history — behind him. All Rodón wanted to do was forget about it. Still, his process involved reflecting on what he did right and what he wished he could've done better. During hours of winter solitude at his Indiana home, Rodón began thinking about his kids and the legacy he wants to leave behind.

"Years from now, my son, Bo, will be 16, 17 years old," Rodón said. "And if he wants to play baseball, he goes back and watches dad, then I've had times where there's things — I definitely don't want him to know me as the things I've done on the field. The reflection of that is like, there's definitely more people watching, but my children are watching.

"So, the perspective of that kind of changed my mindset on how I'm going to carry myself on the field. And I'm not going to be perfect. I'm not trying to make an excuse, but I know I'm not going to be perfect. I get caught up, I want to win, I get emotional. But the goal is to be better, for sure."

Following months of intense preparation, Rodón wants his game to speak for itself this year. He showed up to Yankees camp with newfound confidence sparked by his change in mentality. He hit his velocity marks and dropped his weight. He assessed his reactions to outside noise, bright lights and the Yankees' loud fan base. He knows he still has a lot to prove in New York, and he's ready for that challenge. Most importantly, Rodón opens this season in the Yankees dugout, healthy and hopeful.

Yankees catcher Jose Trevino is looking forward to watching Rodón's second season in pinstripes. Trevino noticed Rodón putting more of an emphasis on the minor details and being more confident. Still, Trevino believes there is value in extra aid from the Bronx faithful. The catcher is imploring the Yankees fan base to do two things: be patient with Rodón, and keep the heckling to a minimum.

"It would be big for the fans to get behind him again, to show him that they support him and all of that," Trevino said. "That stuff is big."

This is New York, of course, so Trevino’s request is no small task. Around here, support is typically earned, not given. Rodon understands and respects that dynamic. He’s meticulously prepared for this moment, now he just needs his golden left arm to do the talking.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.