New York Yankees fans have already had lots of pitchers in recent years on the major league roster to get excited about, but there’s something special about the hype behind a top-tier prospect.
Carlos Lagrange, the 22-year-old Dominican-born fireballer who ranks No. 2 on MLB Pipeline’s list of top Yankees prospects, has been going viral this spring. On Feb. 16, the first day of live at-bats at Yankees camp, Lagrange blew a 102.6 mph fastball by three-time American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge for a swinging strikeout.
That moment stuck with Judge, even though he’d already launched a home run off Lagrange earlier in the session. And earlier this week, the best hitter in baseball made a bold declaration about the potential for his club’s hardest-throwing pitching prospect.
“Carlos’ potential, man, is to be a front-line starter for the New York Yankees,” Judge said, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
Lagrange pitched to a 3.53 ERA across High-A and Double-A last season, but his 168 strikeouts in 120 innings were the true indication of how high his ceiling was. Judge and the Yankees’ major leaguers may have taken notice at the time, but seeing him in person in spring training has to jump-start their expectations.
Judge also weighed in on how Lagrange managed the pressure of going up against some of the Yankees’ best major league hitters, saying that was just more evidence the youngster could handle the bright lights in the Bronx someday soon.
“We sent up some nasty lineups against him,” Judge said, per Kirschner. “He didn’t care. He wanted to be out there, and he came right after us. That’s what you need if you’re gonna play in the Bronx. If you’re gonna play in New York, you gotta have that demeanor.”
New York’s rotation is deep as of Wednesday, and it will only get deeper when All-Stars Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return from the injured list. But when you hear what Judge thinks of Lagrange, it’s easy to envision the young flamethrower getting his shot at the big leagues in the near future.
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