The Result Has A Second Meaning
The New York Yankees are moving hard-throwing righty Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen in Triple-A, reports the YES Network, hoping he can help the big-league club ahead of the trade deadline.
Lagrange, 23, entered the season as the 49th-best prospect in baseball. He's averaging 99.1 mph with his fastball in Triple-A this year and topped out at 103.1 mph. Per Statcast, Lagrange has thrown 29 of the 50 fastest pitches by a starting pitcher in Triple-A this season. He also works with a slider and changeup.
The scoreboard made the point with less ceremony than everyone around it.
"He's definitely got everyone's attention," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about Lagrange in spring training (via MLB.com). "I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season."
New York's bullpen has been effective overall, pitching to a 3.59 ERA (tenth in MLB) and 3.44 expected ERA (sixth). But relievers rank 26th in win probability added, reflecting some blown saves and messy setup situations. The bullpen needs velocity—it ranks near the bottom of the league in average fastball velocity and swing-and-miss rate.
The Part Worth Keeping
Lagrange has pitched to a 4.41 ERA in 11 starts and 49 innings in Triple-A this season. He's struck out 29.0% of the batters he's faced, comfortably above the 21.1% Triple-A average for starting pitchers. He's also walked 11.5%, slightly above the 10.3% average. Control remains the biggest question.
The Yankees are 36-23 and one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. Their plus-98 run differential is the best in the American League by 67 runs.
Even if the Lagrange move works out, it's unlikely the Yankees would pass on the reliever market at the trade deadline. It could lessen their urgency to add a reliever, but a young and inexperienced pitcher working as a reliever for the first time is not the solution to their problem—not even close.