Maybe saying that C.C. Sabathia was “skinny” last season is simplifying things just a little bit. But Sabathia did get into better shape, dropping 30 pounds and turning up to Spring Training looking downright in shape. Here’s a pic of Sabathia from last spring.
VIERA, FL – MARCH 11: CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch in the third inning of a game against the Washington Nationals at the Space Coast Stadium on March 11, 2014 in Viera, Florida. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
But that weight loss was short-lived. According to the New York Daily News, Sabathia has turned up to Yankees camp this year at 305 pounds…30 pounds heavier than he was last spring.
“I lost a bunch of weight drastically, pretty quick, two years ago, and was kind of off-balance,” Sabathia, who was 275 at the start of camp last season, said Saturday. “I didn’t know really how my body was working.”
After consulting with Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad and the club’s athletic trainers, Sabathia decided his ideal playing weight should be between 295-305. He put on about 20 pounds last season while rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee, then added another 10 during the winter.
“I feel like this is a good weight,” Sabathia said. “I feel a little stronger. I feel my legs under me, being a lot stronger, and being able to push off the mound.”
The logic here is staggering. Trying to tie Sabathia’s struggles over the last two years to his weight loss is ridiculous. Sabathia is 34, and has a degenerative condition in his right knee. His fastball velocity peaked in his first year as a Yankee back in 2009, and has fallen off every season since (with a brief exception in 2011 when it slightly perked up). He’s getting smashed by bad luck in regards to his home run rate, BABIP, and strand rate.
But hey, if Sabathia and the Yankees are comfortable with him getting chunky again, so be it. New York is on the hook for at least $53 million to Sabathia over the next two seasons…and his option for 2017 will vest as long as Sabathia’s left shoulder is OK. Yikes.
