Triston McKenzie had a strong first start of Spring Training for the Cleveland Guardians.
Spring Training games are rolling on as the Cleveland Guardians get ready for 2023. Cleveland had a split squad on Tuesday and their starter against the Royals was Triston McKenzie.
Mckenzie's first start of the spring went about as well as any pitcher could've hoped for. Just like his predecessors who started the first two games of Spring, McKenzie didn't pitch for too long before being shut down. He made it through just two innings before his day was over.
But that quick outing was efficient and meaningful. Dr. Sticks struck out one batter, walked one batter, and only allowed one hit. This is a similar stat line to what Shane Bieber threw on Sunday which is a great sign for the Guardians. Cleveland's pitchers are already throwing strikes which is half the battle in spring.
Yes, it's just one start, but there's just so much to get excited about talking about McKenize.
Take a look at the action on this pitch that caught Pratto looking.
McKenzie will be entering his fourth season in the Guardians rotation and he could look to jump from an important and number two to the rotation's ace. He showed flashes of this in 2022.
The best part about Sticks is that he's gotten better each year. On the shortened 2020 he posted a 3.54 ERA over six starts. That jumped to a 4.95 ERA in 2021 as he got a taste of what a full-time Big League starter looks like. Then in 2022, he had his best season with a 2.96 ERA and a 0.951 WHIP.
Based on this track record McKenzie is ready to have a big 2023 and this first start is a great way to keep all of it off.
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