How Yankees reliever Ron Marinaccio can be a factor in 2024
TAMPA, Fla. – Once in the Yankee bullpen’s “Circle of Trust,’’ Ron Marinaccio plans to ascend to that level again.
“I know what my stuff looks like when I’m healthy and I’m at my best,’’ Marinaccio said.
Following an impressive rookie season in 2022, Marinaccio’s forgettable 2023 might have lessened some expectations about his impact in 2024, but not with the club’s decision makers.
“He’s a factor for us if we can keep him healthy,’’ said pitching coach Matt Blake.
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The cause for optimism is Marinaccio’s offseason of lower body strength training and the development of a slider, adding to his fastball-changeup mix.
“As much as it stunk missing the playoffs, that extra month was beneficial to have some time to shut down,’’ said the Toms River right-hander. “I had a pretty normal offseason.’’
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That wasn’t the case last winter, when a stress reaction in his shins caused him to miss the 2022 postseason and fouled up his winter routine.
“I felt I was a rehab up until Opening Day last year,’’ said Marinaccio, whose rough July – nine runs, nine walks, a .995 opponents OPS in 11 games – led to a minor league demotion.
In the view of Marinaccio and the Yankees, his lowered velocity and fouled up delivery could be traced to the shin issue of late 2022.
“I don’t think he had a really good base last year coming into camp,’’ said Blake. “He was just kind of playing from behind the 8-ball last year and I think it just kind of snowballed on him a bit.’’
Dealing with the demotion to Triple-A
Without the normal power on his fastball, Marinaccio’s signature changeup wasn’t as deceptive.
“And when that went sideways on him, he really didn’t have anywhere to go,’’ said Blake, agreeing with manager Aaron Boone that Marinaccio was never at full strength in 2023.
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Things got even worse at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where Marinaccio yielded 15 earned runs and 18 walks in 15.1 innings, over 14 appearances.
“At first, going down there, you feel like you’ve got to be perfect,’’ said Marinaccio, adding that it was “a little bit of a mental battle at first.
“But toward the end of the year, I was just pretty beat up (and) I really needed the offseason to get some strength back underneath me.’’
The importance of adding a third pitch
During a recent live batting practice session, Boone was pleased with the look of Marinaccio’s burgeoning slider.
“It’s had a more consistent shape to it,’’ said Boone, along with noticeably improved command of the fastball and changeup.
The slider has been “a work in progress over the last couple of years,’’ said Marinaccio, but it’s now “a pitch I’m excited with this year.
“I know it’s going to play a bigger role the more consistent it gets. It’s going to be a pitch I can steal a strike with against lefties and just another offering to righties to give me a better chance.’’
Marinaccio, 28, had relied almost exclusively on the fastball-slider combo in 2022, when he pitched to a 2.05 ERA in 40 games, with an ERA-plus of 193.
Having struggled through 2023, “I feel like it’s going to be good for my career too,’’ Marinaccio said of learning to deal with big-league adversity.
“The rookie season went a little smoother than I could have imagined and obviously I’m happy for that. It shows me my stuff plays in the big leagues.
“But I think I would have been silly to think I was going to go through my career with a 2.00 ERA.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Yankees reliever Ron Marinaccio can be a factor in 2024
