TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees held their first full-squad workout of spring training on Monday, and before the afternoon was over, a 22-year-old pitching prospect had the entire complex buzzing. Manager Aaron Boone admitted it was “some drama” at the camp.
Carlos Lagrange, one of the top arms in the Yankees farm system, stepped onto a mound in Tampa and stared down a lineup that included Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. It was his first big league camp. He did not flinch.
What followed was the kind of moment that makes spring training matter, even when the games have not started yet.
Judge gets the early punch
Lagrange threw live batting practice across three simulated innings Monday afternoon. A sizable crowd had gathered behind the backstop, and the session did not disappoint.
A few pitches into the at-bat, Judge got hold of a 99.3 mph fastball and launched it into the seats. Home run. The fans roared. The captain had spoken.
But this story does not belong to Judge. Not entirely.
Lagrange fires back with 102.6 mph
The young right-hander did not shrink after giving up the blast. He regrouped and came right back at Aaron Judge with a 102.6 mph heater that blew past him for a strikeout. The crowd at the Yankees spring training complex erupted again, this time for a kid most of them had only read about in prospect rankings.
It was the kind of sequence that creates a reputation in a hurry.
“He’s going to be special,” Judge said afterward. “You can look up at the radar and see 103 mph — the fastball he threw by me — but I think it’s also just a presence he has on the mound. He’s a kid that, we sent up a nasty lineup against him today and he didn’t care. He wanted to be out there and he came right after us. That’s what you need.”
A poised debut in big league camp
Lagrange threw 49 pitches across the three simulated frames. His fastball regularly touched triple digits. Manager Aaron Boone also pointed to what he called a “special” changeup and a sharp sweeper that gave hitters trouble throughout the session.
More important than the velocity, Boone said, was the strike-throwing. That has been the biggest question mark in Lagrange’s development. He finished last season at Double-A Somerset, where he made 15 starts and posted a 3.22 ERA. Command and durability have been the two hurdles standing between him and the majors.
“I thought he was excellent,” Boone said. “First one to go out there, first full-squad day, the crowd’s full, he’s facing the big boys. What I liked is he was filling up the zone with it. The stuff obviously jumps off the page at you, but at a point where he’s going three ups, 49 pitches, he held his stuff and most importantly held his strike-throwing.
“Again, it’s February, but really good to see him out there.”
Lagrange stays cool under the spotlight
For his part, Lagrange was not overwhelmed by the moment. If anything, facing the Yankees’ most dangerous hitters gave him energy.
“When I see those guys, I feel really good because I’m here [in big league camp] with them,” Lagrange said. “But I try to do the same thing: throw in my zone and go through my pitches.”
He credited his offseason conditioning for the velocity gains that have made him one of the hardest throwers in the Yankees system.
“I know 102 is really hard, but I work out hard in the offseason,” Lagrange said. “When you do a really good job in the offseason, that’s the result.”
Where does Lagrange fit on the Yankees roster?
The Yankees plan to give Lagrange every chance to develop as a starter. But there is another path that could get him to the Bronx sooner. His triple-digit fastball, sharp changeup and sweeper would play up even more in short relief, and the club could fast-track him to a bullpen role if the need arises.
The Yankees rotation is waiting on the return of ace Gerrit Cole from Tommy John surgery later this summer. Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt are also expected to rejoin the staff from the injured list at some point during the season. If the Yankees need a bridge arm, Lagrange could be the answer.
He is already well ahead of schedule in his spring buildup, and the early returns have the organization excited. Monday was only one session. But when a 22-year-old prospect blows a fastball past the reigning AL MVP and walks off the mound looking like he belongs, people remember it.
Spring training is filled with moments that mean nothing by October. This one, though, felt like it could mean something. Even Judge seemed to sense it.
“He’s going to be special.”
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