If you ever wanted to see what a 300 hundred pound left handed pitcher looks like, all you have to do is look at New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia. With the start of spring training around the corner, Sabathia reportedly showed up to spring training north of three bills.
Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia believes his weight loss in recent years had a bigger impact than he anticipated on his performance on the mound,according to the New York Daily News.
Sabathia trimmed his weight down and weight 275 pounds at the start of the 2014 season. He’s now back up to 305 pounds, which is a weight Sabathia is happy to be at. When he won the Cy Young in 2007 with the Indians, Sabathia weighed over 300 pounds.
In 2013, Sabathia posted a 4.78 ERA in 32 games and in 2014. He managed a 5.28 ERA in just eight games, with his season cut short due to a knee injury that required surgery. Those numbers are far above his career ERA of 3.63.
Sabathia thinks adding the weight back on could help him get back to where he once was, even if his velocity isn’t where it once was.
“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.”
I don’t know what CC’s problem was last year, but I’m not sure how putting the weight he once lost back on will help his pitching issues. If the extra weight helps his curveball, then Sabathia might start a trend among the other hefty lefties in the league.