Marcus Stroman has arrived at Yankees spring training after missing the first two days of workouts, and Keith McPherson believes it was much ado about nothing, with fans going too far in their criticism about the pitcher missing the start of camp.
“He’s a kid I have a ton of respect for...he’s had to overcome a ton of obstacles to get where he is, and he just hit 10 years of service time in Major League Baseball,” Keith said. “Why do you guys hate this guy so much? First it was, ‘Why are they gonna sign this guy? Go Get Blake Snell.’ Then it was ‘Oh my God, this guy doesn’t want to pitch Opening Day!’
“All year, you saw him wearing his throwback Yankee gear and supporting his teammates...but now, here we are, you guys have already forgotten last year. They had to shut him down. He did not contribute for months.”
Stroman struggled badly down the stretch of last season, the second straight year he fell off as the season wore on. He was a non factor in the playoffs, and it is no secret that the Yanks are looking to move him. Still, Stroman is now back at camp, and Keith says fans need to lay off of him.
“You guys are still stuck on Stro,” Keith said. “He’s essentially not part of the team! What do you want from the guy?
“He checked in when he had to check in. He doesn’t have to be there until Feb. 22.”