TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees already knew Ryan Weathers could throw hard. They saw the radar gun readings from his time with the Miami Marlins. They studied the pitch data. They traded four prospects to get him.
What they did not expect was the 26-year-old lefty looking like a midseason version of himself before spring training games have even started.
Weathers took the mound for his first live batting practice session at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Sunday. The results were loud. Not from the bats. From the glove.
His fastball sat at 97 mph and touched 98.5 mph, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. That is nearly two full ticks above his 96.9 mph average from last season with the Marlins. It is the kind of velocity that most pitchers do not reach until May or June, let alone in a February live session.
And the two hitters he was facing? Not some minor league invite trying to make a roster. He was going right at Aaron Judge, the reigning American League home run champion, and Paul Goldschmidt, the 2022 National League MVP.
Weathers makes former MVPs look foolish with mid-February heat
Video from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com captured the highlight of the session. Weathers attacked Goldschmidt with fastballs at the bottom of the zone and mixed in a sharp sweeper. The at-bat ended with the veteran first baseman waving at a high heater for a swinging strikeout.
Against Judge, Weathers showed no signs of backing down. He threw two simulated innings and about 35 pitches in total, and the radar gun stayed hot the entire time. The lefty used his four-seam fastball, his new two-seam offering and a sweeper that had about 19 to 20 inches of movement.
Those are not the numbers you expect from a pitcher still ramping up. Weathers did not seem to care about the calendar.
“I don’t feel like I’m trying to throw hard, so I think my delivery’s just in a good spot right now,” he said. “I think everything’s connecting really well. Hopefully I keep throwing like that.”
His average fastball velocity of 96.9 mph last season ranked second among all left-handed starters in MLB. Only Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal threw harder from the left side. The fact that Weathers is already exceeding that number in mid-February is a significant development for a Yankees rotation that needs every bit of help it can get.
A new pitch and a new mindset in the Bronx
Velocity alone does not explain the early buzz surrounding the Yankees’ newest arm. There is substance behind the speed.
Weathers has been working on a new two-seam fastball since arriving in Tampa. It is designed to give him an extra weapon against left-handed hitters, and the few he threw in Sunday’s session felt good.
The bigger adjustment, though, is mental. The Yankees pitching staff, led by pitching coach Matt Blake, has been encouraging Weathers to trust his stuff in the heart of the zone rather than nibbling at corners.
“I think just trusting my stuff in the middle of the plate,” Weathers said. “I have stuff moving everywhere, so it’s getting in the zone and letting my stuff play in the zone. The more I can get in advantage counts, I’ll be able to get more outs.”
He is also soaking up knowledge from his new teammates. Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole are all in camp, and Weathers said the opportunity to learn from that group has been invaluable.
“There’s so much knowledge between those three. They’ve been in this league for almost 10 years,” Weathers said. “Especially Fried and Rodon being lefties, Fried’s really helping me with my breaking ball right now.”
Yankees need Weathers healthy with three starters on the shelf
The urgency behind Weathers’ development is real. The Yankees will open the 2026 season without Cole, Rodon and Clarke Schmidt. Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected back until May or June. Rodon is targeting late April after his own elbow procedure. Schmidt could miss most of the year following his UCL surgery last summer.
That leaves Weathers slotted into the opening rotation alongside Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the plan earlier this week.
“We’re talking about probably Fried, Schlittler, Warren, Weathers and Gil to start the season in the rotation,” Boone said.
The concern with Weathers has always been durability, not stuff. He missed time with a lat strain and a flexor muscle strain last season. Those injuries limited him to just eight starts and 38.1 innings with the Marlins, where he posted a 3.99 ERA, 8.69 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.82 walk rate.
In fact, the former first-round pick has never thrown 100 innings in a single big league season. His career high came during his rookie year in 2021 with the San Diego Padres at 94.1 innings.
The Yankees are well aware of the risk. But they are also encouraged by what they are seeing in camp.
“I feel like physically, he’s in a really good place as far as the work he put in, in the winter,” Boone said. “I continue to be excited about him. I think he’s in a really good spot for us.”
A childhood dream, a family legacy and fresh pinstripes
For Weathers, putting on the Yankees uniform carries weight that goes beyond the typical trade acquisition. His father, David Weathers, pitched for the 1996 Yankees championship team. Growing up, the younger Weathers dreamed of this very moment.
When asked what comes to mind when he thinks of the Yankees, Weathers broke into a grin.
“Did you ever watch the movie ‘Everyone’s Hero’? When I was younger, it’s an animated movie and he wanted to play for the Yankees,” Weathers said with a laugh. “That’s the movie I think of.”
He has not worn the full uniform yet, but even the pants have made an impression.
“I’ve put on the pants, I haven’t put on the full uni, but I got to put on the pants for the last couple of days, and it just feels so cool and just it’s such an honor to be able to wear ’em,” he said.
The Yankees sent Dillon Lewis, Brendan Jones, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus to Miami to land Weathers in January. It was a steep price for a pitcher who has thrown just 281 big league innings since debuting in 2021. But if Sunday is any indication, the gamble is already paying early dividends.
His sweeper held opponents to a .174 batting average last season. His fastball now touches the upper 98s. And his new teammates, including two former MVPs, got a firsthand taste of that combination on a Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
Grapefruit League games open Thursday when the Yankees travel to face the Orioles. With the regular season opener set for March 25 against the Giants in San Francisco, Weathers has five weeks to prove he can carry this form into the games that count.
If his fastball keeps looking like this, Judge and Goldschmidt might be glad they only have to face him in practice.
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