New York Yankees News & Rumors: Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi Wants to Make Major Impact in NY
With both Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia surrounded by question marks because of their health, Nathan Eovaldi will likely play a big role for the New York Yankees in the 2015 MLB season.
Eovaldi, who was acquired in a trade that sent Martin Prado and David Phelps to Miami Marlins, knows the Yankees are looking to bounce from two straight disappointing seasons. In his first season in a Yankees uniform, the 24-year-old said he is aiming to make an immediate impact for the club, knowing the team is looking to infuse youth to their roster.
"I just want to come over here and give them the best opportunity to win," Eovaldi said via NY Daily News. "I just want to stay healthy and give as many innings as I can. They're redeveloping, getting a lot younger guys. There's still a lot of experience here and a lot to learn."
Eovaldi, who will be playing for his third team after stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Marlins, went 6-14 with a 4.37 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 33 starts for the Marlins last season. The four-year veteran showed flashes of brilliance last season but admitted he has a lot to work on, especially after having an unimpressive ERA last season.
"I had ups and downs," Eovaldi said of his performance last season via NY Post. "I accomplished a lot that I wanted to. I stayed healthy and got a lot of innings under my belt. I controlled my walks, but my ERA was a lot higher than I'd like it to have been. And I gave up too many hits."
The Houston, Texas, native has already started working out with Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who is reportedly focused on improving Eovaldi's off-speed pitches and on developing the young pitcher's consistency.
Based on their recent workouts, Eovaldi expressed confidence he will improve under Rothschild's watch, which he hopes will translate to victories for the Yankees, who will look to end their two-year playoff drought next season.
Eovaldi is also aware of the high expectations from fans, especially if the Yankees struggle to stay healthy again this year. They started last season with one of the best starting rotations on paper but ended up being slowed down by injuries to Tanaka, Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April last year.
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