Guardians News: Triston McKenzie On His Injury-Filled 2023 Season

Despite the disappointing outcomes, Sticks is determined to not let these injuries define who he is. Instead, McKenzie wants to use them to help make him a stronger pitcher and is happy with where he is heading into 2024. 

"I think it’s part of the game but I think it always makes you better for it and being able to be where my feet are and finish the season healthy were all things I was hoping for. I think being able to have that success while trying to struggle through the mud a little bit is kind of the perfect mix. I think if you're riding too high you’re never really getting to a place where you need to understand yourself. If you’re constantly struggling, which everybody in baseball does at some point, it makes it hard for you to push through because sometimes you just end up searching or pandering for results, when you could be doing just fine."

No player who has the competitive drive that McKenzie does is going to be thrilled sitting in a dugout while his teammates compete. Still, he used this opportunity to grow in his own game while helping his team.

Being able to watch other guys attack lineups and pick apart how they're doing it and apply my own style or how I would do stuff was a big one. As well as just trying for me to figure out what effect can I have on the game when I’m not on the field physically."

When healthy, McKenzie can be a Cy Young contender. He showed that he possessed that talent in 2022. Hopefully, he'll get right back on track in 2024 and we'll look back at 2023 as an anomaly in his career.