The Yankees have high hopes for Jordan Montgomery this season, in what will be his first full year since his rookie campaign in 2017, before needing Tommy John surgery after just six starts in 2018.
So far this spring, the lone lefty in the projected Opening Day rotation, Montgomery has given the Yanks plenty of reason to believe those high expectations can be met, allowing just one run in 10 innings of work, the lone run coming in his first spring outing. Montgomery has struck out seven and walked three in that span, and is feeling like his pre-Tommy John self with the season fast approraching.
“My stuff wise, it’s probably been playing as well as it has in a long time,” Montgomery said in a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday.
Part of Montgomery’s enhanced stuff is the introduction of his cutter, a pitch he showed in flashes last season and has taken the offseason and spring training to perfect. Montgomery threw the pitch just 6.7 percent of the time last year, but now, he feels more confident in using it more regularly in game situations.
“The cutter has become a weapon I can use more consistently,” Montgomery said.
As a lefty, Montgomery has received coaching from CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, two of the best southpaws in franchise history, both of whom had a cutter as a pillar of their playing careers. For Pettitte, it was one of his most potent weapons throughout his career. For Sabathia, it helped revitalize his career after his velocity dipped with age. For Montgomery, he hopes it will help him become the steady starter in a Yankee rotation that has struggled to find stability in recent seasons.
“They’re the ones who showed me how to throw it,” Montgomery said of Pettitte and Sabathia. “CC showed me it. It’s been a while since Andy’s been around, but I played toss with him with it. I started using it in games last year. It’s a good weapon to have.”
The real test will be unleashing the cutter in meaningful games, but aside from a single pitch, Montgomery will be watched much more closely in terms of his stamina this season. All pitchers will be scrutinized in an unprecedented year following a 60-game season with a lesser workload, but for Montgomery, this will be his first attempt at a full season since his rookie year, when he threw 155.1 innings. Since then, he’s thrown a combined 75.1 innings due to his injury and the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Montgomery feels he can turn in a full season regardless of recent history. It would certainly be a big boost for the Yankees.
“I feel great right now,” Montgomery said. “I threw 74 pitches [Wednesday], and my last couple innings were my best innings. I emptied the tank and felt strong still, could have gone longer. Not really that sore today, tomorrow I’ll probably be sore, but I’m starting to feel more like I did in the minor leagues when I was throwing 115 pitches a game, so that feels good.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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