New York — Pitchers are taught one thing before almost anything else. Establish the fastball, then build every other pitch around it.
The New York Yankees have seen what happens when someone ignores that rule and gets away with it. Devin Williams spent 2025 in the Bronx after making his name on a changeup known as the Airbender.
Pitchers who lean that hard on an off-speed pitch face doubts at every level. The fear is that better hitters stop chasing it. Coaches at nearly every level push young arms to win with the fastball first and save the changeup for two-strike counts.
That debate matters this winter because the Yankees bullpen has holes to fill after an early October exit against Tampa Bay.
John Schreiber, claimed off waivers from Kansas City on Aug. 31, is headed for free agency. Fernando Cruz was diagnosed in late August with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Both are right-handers.
Schreiber had a 3.65 ERA in 55 appearances for the Royals before the Yankees claimed him. Cruz, whose splitter made him a strikeout weapon in the Yankees bullpen, sought a second opinion after his diagnosis rather than committing to surgery right away.
“We’re looking at options,” Cruz said.
Relief help usually costs prospects on the trade market or money in free agency. Developing it costs time. The Yankees have done plenty of both.
Beyond the open market, the Yankees have internal arms pushing toward the upper levels. One of them breaks the fastball-first rule more aggressively than nearly anyone in the organization.
He was not drafted. Not long ago, he was a second baseman at a small Division I school in South Carolina.
And the scouting reports on him agree on one thing: The fastball is not his best pitch.
A changeup thrown more than the fastball
Chris Veach, a 24-year-old right-hander from Chapin, South Carolina, throws his changeup close to 60 percent of the time.
Veach began at Presbyterian as a two-way player and hit .344, mostly at second base. He transferred to South Carolina, became the Gamecocks’ closer and leaned on the changeup in roughly 60 percent of his pitches in his final college season.
All 30 teams passed on him in the 2024 MLB Draft. The Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent on Aug. 4, 2024, for $100,000.
He has not stopped missing bats since. Veach posted a 2.53 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 57 innings at Single-A Tampa in 2025.
This year he opened with 11 straight scoreless appearances for High-A Hudson Valley and earned a promotion to Double-A Somerset on May 19. Across both levels, he went 3-2 with three saves, a 1.86 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP in 25 games. He struck out 39 and allowed only 14 hits in 29 innings.
The 6-foot, 195-pound righty did it despite a long layoff. Somerset placed him on the injured list June 14, and he was not activated until Aug. 25. He finished the regular season back in Double-A before joining the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.
Scouts see the stuff and the risk
The changeup sits in the high 70s to around 80 mph, with heavy arm-side fade and drop. His fastball sits in the low 90s. The separation, released from the same arm slot, is what keeps hitters guessing.
Keith Law of The Athletic this month named Veach a pitcher of interest, citing a 91-92 mph fastball, a plus changeup and excellent arm speed. He also offered a warning about how far that profile can carry a pitcher.
“Pitchers can dominate A ball with a good changeup,” Law wrote.
Law noted that he had seen Veach pitch once. Veach faced six batters, struck out three, walked two and hit the last man he faced.
“So don’t get too excited yet,” Law wrote.
Anthony Ranaudo, writing about Yankees minor leaguers who could help in 2027, sees craft in it.
“As a former pitcher, I always have a level of respect for guys who pitch backwards off of a change-up,” Ranaudo wrote.
The numbers behind a rare profile
Veach’s 2026 line translates to 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.3 hits per nine.
The concern is control. His 10 walks in 29 innings work out to 3.1 per nine, and his walk rate sat just under 12 percent in 2025. A changeup-first pitcher who falls behind in counts has to throw the fastball, which is exactly what he wants to avoid.
The velocity gap is his edge. In 2025, his changeup averaged about 77 mph and his fastball about 92, a 15 mph difference. In a brief spring training outing this year, both pitches ticked up, with his sinker averaging 94.2 mph and his changeup 80.4.
There is also a calendar the Yankees cannot ignore. Under Rule 5 timelines, a college player signed in 2024 becomes eligible for the December 2027 draft unless added to the 40-man roster. That makes next season a decision year for Veach and the Yankees front office.
Where Veach stands entering 2027
Veach finished 2026 at Double-A, the level where Law’s caution will be tested hardest. Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is the last stop before the Yankees bullpen.
With Schreiber headed to the open market and Cruz facing a long recovery, the Yankees will need right-handed relief depth in 2027. Veach’s numbers have put his name on that list of internal options.
For now, he is in Arizona, testing a pitch most coaches would tell him to throw less.
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