The Yankees have one player who has found his youth again

When the Yankees Carsten Charles “CC” Sabathia joined the team in 2009; you could tell that something special was going to happen, and boy did it.

The Yankees saw CC Sabathia, in his rookie season with the Cleveland Indians back in 2001, pitched to a 17-5 record, 171 strikeouts with a 4.39 ERA. It was evident from the beginning of his career that he was going to be an exceptional talent.

Unfortunately, he would finish 2^nd in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to none other than the single-season hit king himself, Ichiro Suzuki. Sabathia went on to have a very successful career in Cleveland until he was traded to the Yankees in 2009.

Yankee fans gave a sigh of relief with the trade. They were finally getting the all-star quality pitcher they had wished for, and Sabathia delivered in his first year in the Bronx with a record of 19-8, 209 strikeouts, 230 innings pitched with a 3.37 ERA.

This is exactly what the Yankees ordered from the “hefty lefty” when they signed him to a seven-year $161,000,000 contract.

Was it worth it?

Unfortunately, Sabathia was not able to hold his form after the 2013 season. His stats significantly declined, and it seemed that his career might be over in New York.

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Yankees fans were left confused by his rapid decline until Sabathia came forward about his predisposition to alcohol.

In 2015 interview with the New York Daily News, Sabathia said, “I’ve been living as an alcoholic since 2012.”

Although he struggled last season, we saw a few glimpses of the old Sabathia with more emotion, and a seemingly a better understanding of what pitching (without a dominating fastball) is like.

A Fountain of Youth

Sabathia has been able to put the pieces of the puzzle back together this year. Through his first 13 games, he has certainly silenced the critics by pitching to the tune of a 7-2 record, with a 3.46 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 75.1 innings pitched in a total of 13 games.

With all the questions surrounding Sabathia’s ability to be a starting pitcher, the answers have been impressive after seeing what the 36-year-old has done through his first 13 starts.

More than anything else, Sabathia has been learning to pitch without the dominating fastball that he lived by. Instead, Sabathia has been able to have more finesse by mixing up his pitches. Sabathia is beginning to look more and more like his all-star self with every quality start this season.

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Sabathia had his first setback of the season yesterday when he came down with a left hamstring strain. The Yankees placed him on the 10-day DL, which will give him a few days of rest to come back stronger than ever this season.

Look for Sabathia to continue his youthful start to 2017, when he returns from his stint on the DL.