The New York Yankees’ bullpen situation is not looking great so far during spring training.
New York lost multiple key pieces of its bullpen this offseason, with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver signing with the New York Mets, and did little to fill the void left behind by their departures. Cade Winquest and Angel Chivilli have been dreadful so far in spring training, leaving much of the bullpen’s hopes resting on David Bednar, Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough.
One player who could help bolster the Yankees’ bullpen would be right-handed fireballer Carlos Lagrange. The 22-year-old is New York’s No. 2 prospect, ranking No. 79 on the MLB’s Top 100 Prospects list, and has been impressive in spring training.
Not only does Lagrange boast a fastball that averages triple-digit velocities, but he also has improved his accuracy, and it’s been showing in his results. Through three appearances this spring, Lagrange has been on fire, posting a 0.93 ERA with a 0.72 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings pitched.
Lagrange has drawn the attention of many in camp, including New York’s ace Gerrit Cole, who was “blown away” by the young fireballer. Yankees manager Aaron Boone has also been noticing how well the 22-year-old is performing.
“He just continues to be really, really excellent,” Boone said, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “This is all we’ve seen from his live (batting practices), now carrying into games. Just getting to know him, we’re obviously excited about it.”
Though Lagrange has spent the majority of his minor league career as a starting pitcher, the Yankees’ bullpen is desperately in need of depth, and transitioning the top prospect to a bullpen role would help improve the bullpen while also giving Lagrange the opportunity to get experience in the big leagues.
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