The New York Yankees might have stumbled onto something with rookie right-hander Will Warren—a project arm with real potential who just needs a little polish to shine.
After a rocky finish to spring training where his ERA ballooned to 5.09, Warren came into his first major league start Tuesday night with something to prove. Despite a few hiccups, he delivered a pretty encouraging five-inning outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Warren allowed just one hit—unfortunately, it was a two-run blast by Corbin Carroll—but it was the four walks that really came back to bite him. The stuff was there, the control just wasn’t quite consistent.
Command Still a Work in Progress
Warren threw 85 pitches on the night, leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball, sweeper, and changeup. The fastball hit 93.9 mph at its peak, and he mixed in the occasional sinker to keep hitters guessing. On paper, that pitch mix is more than enough to keep batters honest.
The problem? Only 41 of those 85 pitches landed in the strike zone. The changeup in particular was all over the place, and his fastball location—especially high in the zone—was a bit erratic. His sweeper flashed some promise, catching a few batters leaning with low strikes, but he also left a handful of them floating just a bit too much.
Batters swung at 26 of Warren’s offerings and made contact on 16 of them, a relatively high rate. Seven ground balls is a nice silver lining, but three of them were hit hard, so it’s clear he’s still learning how to finish at-bats cleanly.
Yankees are Seeing Flashes of Something More
But this wasn’t a start to ignore. One mistake pitch aside, Warren held his own against a deep Arizona lineup. He pitched with poise, kept his velocity steady, and showed enough feel for his arsenal to suggest there’s more in the tank.
- Could Yankees kick the tires on former star pitcher looking to make an MLB comeback?
- Yankees lose relief arm to free agency for the 2nd time in one week
- Yankees’ Brian Cashman leaning heavily on inexperience to save the season
Pitchers like Warren often take time to settle in. They tinker, adjust, and evolve with each start. His frame, pitch mix, and movement all hint at a big-league starter who just needs innings to find his rhythm. And the Yankees, thin in their rotation due to injuries, are in no position to rush—or waste—a live arm like his.
If he can tighten up the command and locate more consistently, the Yankees might just have a long-term rotation piece developing right under their nose.