Hiroki Kuroda was the Yankees top starting pitcher last season, and their newest toy is Japanese import Masahiro Tanaka. However the Yankees' season will likely be impacted more by how CC Sabathia pitches this season than either of his foreign teammates.
CC was spotted at a Knicks game recently, and many fans were aghast at his near-skeletal appearance. The man once mocked for eating entire boxes of Cap'n Crunch cereal has reportedly dropped from 315 lbs. to 275, and he's insisting his new frame is healthy.
"During the offseason, I decided to lose the weight to be around my family, be around my kids," he said. "I had a cousin pass away that was pretty young from heart disease, so it was just really about that.
"Everybody was like mad at me and stuff. I didn't think people would care that much. But whatever. I thought it was hilarious.''
Still, most of the weight Sabathia has shed came off before last season. 30 pounds of his 40-lb. drop came prior to the 2013 campaign, which he pointed at as a potential reason for his subpar season. "I think it was just losing that much weight and trying to play a professional sport,'' Sabathia said. "I probably did it the wrong way going into a baseball season last year. I was joking in there with [trainer Stevie Donohue] that I felt like 'The Biggest Loser' last year."
Perhaps that can explain the velocity drop CC experienced, robbing him of his putaway fastball and contributing to a sky-high (for CC) ERA of 4.78. "I lost a lot of weight, but I wasn't physically ready to go out and play. So this year was just all about training and getting ready to play," Sabathia said citing a newfound strength in a thinner package.
"I feel like I lost a little bit of power last year,'' he said. "By the fourth or fifth inning I was usually tired. That was something we really worked on this offseason, going out and making sure I'm ready to pitch a full game.''
Now, CC is ready for a return to ace form and lead a bolstered staff. "I always feel I have something to prove, but more so this year,'' Sabathia said. "But I'm pretty confident in my ability, and know that I can do so. I'm coming in this year feeling good, and good to go.''
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