The Yankees have several young pitchers worth the headlines these days, starting with Cam Schlittler and Elmer Rodriguez, who flashed serious upside in his first start of spring training on Friday. However, Carlos Lagrange put together an impressive performance of his own against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
The 22-year-old tossed 2.2 innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, walking two batters, and striking out two. He touched 102.4 mph on his fastball, also displaying a nasty curveball and good offspeed options. Lagrange has elite-level velocity, but he struggles with command, which is not unusual for players who throw that hard. However, Captain Aaron Judge had nothing but great things to say about Lagrange after the game, indicating he could be a frontline starter for the Yankees.
Judge’s Endorsement Carries Weight
“Carlos’ potential, man, is to be a frontline starter for the New York Yankees,” Judge said, via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. That’s not hollow praise from a player who sees elite arms every single day. Judge doesn’t hand out compliments like participation trophies. When the three-time AL MVP says a 22-year-old prospect has frontline starter potential, that carries genuine weight.
Earlier in the week, Lagrange struck out Judge on a 102.6 mph fastball during live batting practice, though Judge had also taken him deep on a 99.3 mph heater in an earlier matchup. The back-and-forth battle between power and power gave Judge a firsthand look at Lagrange’s arsenal, and what he saw clearly impressed him. “I think it’s also just his presence on the mound. He wanted to be out there, and came right after us,” Judge said.
The Numbers Tell a Complex Story
Lagrange’s 2025 minor league season revealed both his ceiling and his floor. He posted an 11-8 record across 120 innings between High-A and Double-A, striking out 168 batters with a 3.53 ERA. Those strikeout numbers (12.60 K/9) ranked third on the entire MiLB strikeout leaderboard, trailing only teammate Elmer Rodriguez (176 K) and the Mets’ Jonah Tong.
However, the command concerns are real. His 4.65 walks per nine innings at the MiLB level balloon to alarming levels when examined more closely. At High-A, he posted a 4.10 ERA with a 2.59 BB/9 across 41.2 innings. After promotion to Double-A Somerset, his ERA improved to 3.22 across 78.1 innings, but his walk rate actually got worse at 5.74 BB/9. When you’re walking nearly six batters per nine innings, even 102 mph fastballs can’t consistently bail you out.
The encouraging sign is his ground ball rate (71.7% at the MiLB level in 2025) and his ability to limit home runs (0.60 HR/9). His 39.8% GB% suggests he generates weak contact when hitters do make contact, and his ability to induce ground balls could be valuable in Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch.
The Starter vs Reliever Debate
My opinion is that Lagrange has the upside to be a legitimate MLB starter if the command comes along. His arsenal includes a devastating four-seam fastball that touches 103 mph, a hard sweeper that misses bats, and developing offspeed options including a changeup and cutter. When a 6-foot-7 pitcher can throw that hard with secondary pitches that flash plus, you give him every opportunity to start.
However, the Yankees also have to be realistic about their championship window. With Aaron Judge entering his age-34 season and Gerrit Cole returning from Tommy John surgery, they don’t have time to let prospects struggle through command issues in the majors if a quicker path to impact exists.
That’s where the Dellin Betances comparison becomes intriguing. Betances struggled as a starter prospect before the Yankees moved him to the bullpen, where his command issues became less problematic in shorter bursts. A 103 mph fastball coming out of the bullpen in high-leverage October situations could be devastating, especially if Lagrange can throw his sweeper for strikes consistently.
Matt Blake’s Development Track Record
The wildcard in Lagrange’s development is Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake. Blake has consistently turned raw stuff into elite performance, and his track record with young pitchers gives Lagrange a legitimate shot at fixing his command issues. Blake told reporters that Rodriguez, Lagrange, and Ben Hess are all ahead of where Cam Schlittler was at the same point last year.
That comparison is stunning when you consider Schlittler made his MLB debut in July 2025 and threw eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the Wild Card round against Boston. If Lagrange is ahead of where Schlittler was, the Yankees might have a legitimate mid-rotation starter ready to contribute by midseason.
The 2026 Timeline
Lagrange will almost certainly start the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees have no immediate rotation opening with Max Fried, Schlittler, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil, and both Cole and Carlos Rodón expected back by summer. However, injuries happen, and the Yankees’ track record suggests they’ll need more than five starters to survive a full season.
My expectation is that Lagrange gets 8-10 starts at Triple-A to refine his command and secondary offerings, then arrives in the Bronx sometime around June or July. If the command shows improvement and he’s dominating Triple-A hitters, the Yankees won’t hesitate to promote him. If the walks remain problematic, they’ll shift him to a bullpen role where his triple-digit fastball can play up in shorter bursts.
Either way, the Yankees have a legitimate weapon in Lagrange. Whether he becomes the frontline starter Judge envisions or a late-inning reliever who terrorizes hitters in October, his electric arm will contribute to the 2026 Yankees at some point. Saturday’s performance against Detroit, touching 102.4 mph while flashing his full arsenal, proved he’s ready for the next step. The only question is whether that step comes as a starter or reliever, and how quickly the Yankees decide to find out.
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