CC Sabathia appeared in public with this family and talked about the rehabilitation of both his alcohol problem and his knee:
Sabathia’s knee feels better than it has in a long time, and he continues to use the brace that helped him pitch so well in September. Although he historically hasn’t started throwing off a mound until he gets to camp, Sabathia began throwing bullpens three weeks ago. He’ll throw one more Friday before taking a few days off in advance of next week’s report date.
“I’ve been working really hard the past three months and I’m ready to go,” Sabathia said. “I’ve been able to do everything I wanted to do as far as my knee and upper body. I’m excited coming into the season.”
At his age, it’s unlikely he’ll be a dominant pitcher again, but if he can throw 180 innings with a 3.50 ERA, it will be a win for Sabathia and the Yankees.
Why would we expect a 3.5 ERA when his last 3 years have been 4.78, 5.26, 4.73 ERA’s? Maybe if he can avoid the HR ball but his 15.5% HR/FB rate the last 3 years is the highest among all pitchers who have thrown 300 IP