The Yankees hosted their spring home opener yesterday afternoon, and it was a fun one. Spencer Jones hit a mammoth home run, Aaron Judge already looked like he was in GOAT-mode with two dingers, and pitching prospect Carlos Langrage showcased some filthy stuff in an impressive start, a day after fellow prospect Elmer Rodríguez looked solid against the Orioles.
We should absolutely not overreact to the outings of Lagrange and Rodríguez to start spring, with the two young pitchers flashing over the course
of just a couple innings. Yet just because we shouldn’t suddenly heap huge expectations on them doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun. If you had to choose now, which Yankees pitching prospect do you think will make the biggest impact in 2026?
We saw just last year how a young, hard-throwing prospect could rise quickly and make his mark, as Cam Schlittler dominated the upper minors and became a vital part of the Yankee pitching staff by the end of the season. There’s no guarantee that the Yankees will see a young starter do the same this year, but they certainly have some plausible candidates. Rodríguez hinted at improved command in his first start, and he’s coming off one of the most impressive seasons of any minor league pitcher in 2025, posting a 2.58 ERA in 150 innings with 176 strikeouts.
Lagrange, for his part, is a positively tantalizing talent. The righty wrings easy 100-mph gas out of his 6-foot-7 frame, and though bouts of poor control kept him from matching the run-prevention numbers Rodríguez posted in 2025, Lagrange still managed to run one of the highest strikeout rates in the minors, fanning 168 batters in 120 innings.
Rodríguez and Lagrange are the obvious prospect candidates to make their presence known in the bigs this year, but the Yankees do have at least a couple more dark horses elsewhere in the system. Ben Hess, their first-round pick in 2024, showed well in Double-A last season, and could be a pick to click if the Yankees’ pitching development can squeeze a bit more velo out of Hess’ fastball. There’s also Chase Hampton, perhaps the team’s best pitching prospect before going down with Tommy John surgery last year. It’s a long shot Hampton puts it all back together in his first season after injury, but who knows?
What do you think? Do you think there’s a prospect that has particularly good odds of doing a Schlittler impression this year? Or will the Yankees ultimately lean on their veteran starters all season?
On the site today, Matt profiles a fascinating figure in Ryne Duren, who was supposedly the inspiration for the Charlie Sheen’s character in Major League. Also, John spins around Yankees social media, highlighting a whole lot of shenanigans as the Yankees reported to camp. And we’ve got baseball, with the Yankees hosting their crosstown rivals down in Tampa.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees vs. New York Mets
Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Video: MLB.tv
Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL
