NEW YORK — Will Warren is forcing the Yankees to think beyond the traditional postseason rotation.
The 27-year-old returned to the mound Wednesday and gave New York six innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. Warren allowed four hits, walked two and struck out eight over 95 pitches.
More important for the Yankees, Warren is heating up as October approaches. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five straight appearances, posting a 2.22 ERA across 24 1/3 innings in that span. One of those outings came in relief, when he threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings against San Diego on Sept. 4.
In Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are healthy, the Yankees already have four postseason starters. Warren, 10-6 with a 4.05 ERA and 141 strikeouts over 142 1/3 innings, can stay stretched out for a start while also covering multiple innings in relief.
That kind of flexible October assignment has a clear precedent in Yankees history.
Warren’s six-pitch mix gives Boone options
The pitch profile from Warren’s Colorado start adds another reason the Yankees could benefit from shortening some of his assignments.
Warren used six pitches. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.6 mph and his sinker averaged 94.1. The sweeper generated a 42.9% whiff rate, the changeup 35.7%, the curveball 33.3% and the slider 25.0%.
Pitch Profiler graded the sweeper at 124 proStuff+ and 123 proPitching+, with 100 representing major league average.
Former Yankees manager Joe Girardi believes a bullpen role could make the entire mix more dangerous because Warren would not have to conserve velocity for six innings.
“I believe if he’s strictly coming out of the bullpen, his fastball is going to tick up a little more, and it should make everything a little bit better, the change-up, the sweeper, the ride on the four-seamer,” Girardi told NJ Adanced Media..
Girardi also sees the temperament to handle an uncertain role.
“I think he’s really strong mentally and I think [coming out of the pen] is something he can adjust to and handle.”
Warren is peaking as Yankees decide October staff
This is not a struggling starter being pushed into the bullpen. Warren is pitching his best baseball of the season while the Yankees determine how to build their postseason staff.
Warren has credited a mechanical adjustment for the late velocity bump. He said standing taller has improved his posture and helped keep his delivery aligned.
“I think it keeps me more in line,” Warren said.
He then tied that change to better command and more velocity.
“Therefore, I can fill the zone up, and a little tick in velo, too.”
Warren could fill the role ‘El Brujo’ once owned
Ramiro Mendoza, known as “El Brujo,” gave the dynasty-era Yankees a similar type of versatility. The comparison is about role, not identical pitching style.
In 1998, Mendoza went 10-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 41 games, including 14 starts. After Orlando Hernández joined the rotation, Mendoza spent most of the rest of the season in relief while remaining available to start when needed. Joe Torre used whichever version the club required.
That is the possibility Warren is creating now. Aaron Boone has already described him as more than a conventional starter, pointing to both his durability and the recent jump in his arsenal.
“He can serve a lot of roles potentially,” Boone said. “He’s been incredibly durable, but he’s got weapons, and I do like the tick up in his stuff, which seems to be there the last three, four times out.”
Mendoza proved why the swingman matters in October
Mendoza’s value became most visible when the postseason forced the Yankees to improvise.
In Game 6 of the 1998 ALCS, Mendoza replaced David Cone with New York protecting a 6-5 lead. He delivered three scoreless innings as the Yankees pulled away for a 9-5 win that clinched the pennant.
He also earned the victory in Game 3 of the World Series against San Diego and finished that championship postseason with a 1.69 ERA over 5 1/3 innings. A year later, Mendoza retired five consecutive Boston hitters for the save that clinched Game 5 of the ALCS and another trip to the World Series.
His heaviest October workload came in 2001, when Mendoza appeared eight times and allowed one earned run over 12 1/3 innings for a 0.73 ERA. That is the Mendoza lesson for the current Yankees: a swingman can become more valuable when a postseason game stops following the planned script.
Warren has the will
The Yankees entered Saturday 85-62, three games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East, with the postseason staff coming into sharper focus.
Warren has already shown he can move from relief back to the rotation without losing effectiveness. If the Yankees need a start, he can provide one. If not, he can become the multi-inning bridge who protects the bullpen or rescues an abbreviated start.
Warren has kept his own view of the assignment simple.
“I’ve said it before: my job’s just to go out there and get as many outs as possible,” Warren said.
He has also made clear that the inning does not change that responsibility.
“So whether that’s in the bullpen or starting off the game, I’m just trying to go get as many as I can.”
That is where the Mendoza comparison fits best. “El Brujo” became valuable because the Yankees could use him wherever October created a problem. Warren is heating up late enough, and with enough weapons, to give this Yankees staff the chance to revive the same formula.
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