
One area of the Yankees‘ organization that cannot be questioned is their ability to develop pitching, as they’ve been able to run out top-flight pitching staffs under Sam Briend and Matt Blake. They had an excess of arms at the start of the winter, dealing Nestor Cortes for Devin Williams, but the team is always going to be open to finding depth, whether it be on the market or in-house. It’s easy to focus on the top prospects on the pitching side and look at them for spot starts, but one name who could make their big-league debut in 2025 might be more pro-ready than the others.
Ben Shields, an undrafted free agent who made his MiLB debut at the age of 25, could be a sneaky name to look out for in Spring Training, as the left-hander was a surprise success story last season. A crafty lefty with funky arm angles and a fleshed-out arsenal, he could prove to be a valuable weapon for this team if he has a strong camp.
How Ben Shields Might Be The Yankees’ Pitcher To Watch in Spring Training

While being a 26-year-old entering just his second season of Minor League Baseball isn’t ideal, Ben Shields displayed at High-A and Double-A that he has both the command and stuff to compete against any hitter. The left-hander posted a 31.1% K% and 3.48 ERA across 106 MiLB innings last season, as he came out of seemingly nowhere to become one of the more impressive pitching prospects in the Yankees’ organization. What made him so successful at the MiLB level was the combination of pitch diversity with distinct pitch shapes, as he mixes in four effective offerings.
According to Baseball America’s pitch tracking data, they have Ben Shields used a four-seamer (40%), slider (35%), curveball (18%), and sinker (5%), with all of those pitches generating grades that were either average or above-average in their scouting models. Being average doesn’t make a pitching prospect pop, but having four different pitches that are either average or better than that allows for a pitcher to throw hitters off with various looks, and given Shields’ solid command, he’s able to attack the right quadrants of the zone with these weapons consistently.
What allows his average arsenal to stand out even more are his unique release points, as Shields has a wide and low release point with tons of extension, averaging about 6.6 feet of extension on his fastball which allows it to play up even more. He doesn’t throw very hard, sitting between 91-93 MPH with his heater, but those funky release points and extension allow for him to get whiffs at the top of the zone and consistently keep hitters from barreling him up. Ben Shields can both miss bats at a high clip and prevent damage contact, sporting a 0.76 HR/9 and 14.8% SwStr%.
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Ben Shields didn’t open the season as a starting pitcher, as Hudson Valley had him come out of the bullpen early on before quickly realizing he was the real deal on the mound. After a promotion to Double-A, Shields posted a 3.12 ERA and 29.5% K%, keeping the ball on the ground 50.4% of the time and not skipping a beat despite the tougher competition. There’s a real argument to be made that the Yankees should try and shuffle him up to Scranton and get him adjusted to those baseballs, but I expect him to be in Triple-A soon enough regardless of where he starts in 2025.
Spring Training could prove to be quite the interesting showcase for Ben Shields though, who could get a non-roster invite to show off to Yankee officials whether he’s ready for an extended look at the MiLB level. The Yankees don’t have many dependable starters in the upper levels of the Minor Leagues, with both Clayton Beeter and Will Warren eligible to graduate from their prospect status this season and Yoendrys Gomez being out of MiLB options. Injuries to Brock Selvidge and Chase Hampton have slowed down their progress, and Shields could carve a spot on their depth chart.
As for what Shields still needs to develop in order to take that next step forward as a prospect, continuing to build velocity would go a long way. He topped out at 92 MPH in his final year at college but popped some fastballs in the ~94 MPH range this season, and if we see an uptick in velocity again this season, Shields might be big-league ready. With experience both as a reliever and starter, the Yankees’ lack of lefties in the bullpen could create an avenue for the southpaw to get a spot on the roster during the season.
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I would expect the Yankees to add a left-handed reliever before they call it a winter, but one injury could put them in a situation where they’re without any lefties to call on in late-game scenarios. Opportunities are always available for pitchers in the upper levels of the Minor Leagues to earn opportunities, and Ben Shields could make some fans in the front office with a healthy Spring Training with some impressive performances. His age will cause many scouts to overlook him, but last time I checked, there isn’t an age limit on when you’re allowed to debut in the Major Leagues.
It took Clarke Schmidt until he was 27 to join the rotation and Michael King didn’t break out until his age 27 season either, Ben Shields won’t be 27 for another 12 months. The repertoire is impressive, there’s room for even more velocity with his 6’4 frame, and the Yankees could have a pitcher who provides valuable depth in an organization lacking MLB-ready lefties to help them. One final nugget here: Steamer projects a 3.67 ERA and 23.5% K% for Shields this season in 15 innings, not bad for someone the Yankees got as an undrafted free agent a year ago.