Yankees claim intriguing 25-year-old pitcher, cut loose depth starter

MLB: Spring Training-Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have claimed RHP Owen White off of waivers, designating Allan Winans for assignment as a corresponding move. A once revered prospect in the Rangers’ organization, Texas DFA’d White before trading him to the Reds for cash considerations. Since then he’s been DFA’d again, this time by Cincinnati, and the Yankees are taking a flier on the right-hander.

Allan Winans being DFA’d isn’t much of a surprise given the team recently claimed him and the lack of fastball velocity immediately caps his ceiling. The Yankees have a strong track record with pitching development, and Owen White could be a fun reclamation project who still has a Minor League option remaining.

Owen White Looking to Revitalize Career With the Yankees

MLB: Spring Training-Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Between two brief stints in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers, Owen White posted a 16.71 ERA while having a 10.8% K%, a disappointing start to his MLB career. The Rangers did not believe he was worth a spot on their 40-man roster, but perhaps their trash could become the Yankees’ treasure this season.

A decline in strikeout rate over the past two seasons has taken Owen White from a potential top-100 prospect to a frequent name on the waiver wire, but the Yankees might be able to clean some things up here. Last season White used seven different pitches, with his four-seamer leading the way in usage rate at 49.3%.

The Rangers shifted Owen White into a bullpen role at the Triple-A level, and over the final two months of the season, his ERA dropped to 4.41 with a 28.6% strikeout rate, which is pretty good. White pitched in the Pacific Coast League in Triple-A, where the average ERA is 5.69, so being a full run better than the league average is a plus.

Owen White can throw three different fastballs, two different sliders, a curveball, and a changeup, but the Yankees could help him shrink down his arsenal in a reliever role, focusing solely on his best weapons. This is similar to what they’ve done with other starters who they’ve converted into relievers, such as Luke Weaver who cut out his slider, sweeper, and knuckle curveball.

READ MORE: Yankees claim former 2019 first-round pick, add to 40-man roster

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver (30) pitches during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

We won’t see a Luke Weaver kind of leap from Owen White with the Yankees, but his above-average extension and solid velocity are good foundations to have for an arsenal. Perhaps adjusting his four-seam grip to get some more efficient spin on it could result in more whiffs at the top of the zone, but that kind of improvement in vertical movement could come by naturally increasing the effort of each throw as a reliever.

The Yankees could also increase the usage of White’s gyro slider, a pitch that has had tons of success at the Minor League level last season. Used at a 22.7% clip in Triple-A, it had a .244 wOBA allowed and 31.9% Whiff%, as it generates good vertical that batters have trouble picking up. His curveball and sweeper are also interesting weapons that could see an uptick in usage with a change in organizations.

If Owen White eventually gets DFA’d, the Yankees won’t have sacrificed anything to take that flier, but if he’s able to look like the pitcher we saw as a prospect in the Rangers’ system, he could be quite an interesting reliever.

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