Pitchers and catchers are back, and so too are the media microscopes, fine-tuned to analyze every long toss and every warm-up pitch of new Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. His massive presence brings added pressure to others, too, particularly Gary Sanchez, whose skill and effort behind the plate have long been sources of polarization among fans.
After Cole joined the team in December, fans and media speculated the Yankees might acquire Martin Maldonado, who acted as Cole’s personal catcher for the second half of 2019 after returning to the Astros in a July 31 trade.