Yankees pitching prospect Will Warren will factor into the club’s big-league pitching plans at some point in 2024.
That’s a fact.
The Yankees need him. Warren, and others, must step up and provide depth for a rotation carrying some serious injury concerns. By signing only one high-profile starter this offseason (Marcus Stroman) and saying goodbye to several (Michael King, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Jhony Brito, Domingo Germán, Randy Vásquez), the Yankees are relying on their next wave of internal arms to pick up the slack.
As several outlets have released updated prospect rankings for the 2024 season, however, the hype surrounding Warren has grown exponentially.
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Check out this scouting report on Warren from , part of his Top 100 prospects list that was released this week:
Warren pitched most of 2023 in Triple-A so the only thing separating him from giving 100-plus innings in the majors this year is learning to execute and adjust at the highest level. He has the tools and preparation to make a ROY run, with Tanner Bibee’s 2023 a high-end outcome to shoot for.
A Rookie of the Year run?!
For reference, Tanner Bibee made 25 starts for the Guardians last year, posting a 2.98 ERA over 142 innings. He finished second in the race for American League ROY behind Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson.
McDaniel ranked Warren as the No. 69 prospect in baseball this year, referring to him as “hellacious” with a “plus-plus slider, solid-average other pitches and solid execution make him a potential midrotation starter in 2024.” Warren is one of six Yankees phenoms to make ESPN’s top-100 list.
As McDaniel mentioned, Warren spent much of last season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He pitched to a 3.61 ERA over 99 2/3 innings with the RailRiders, getting called up after tearing it up in Double-A Somerset over his first six starts of the year.
The right-hander has plenty of work to do — namely honing in on his command after walking 59 batters over 129 innings in 2023 — but he has electric stuff. Warren’s slider is his best weapon, a wipeout pitch that’ll play against big-league hitters.
Could Warren be the first line of defense for the Yankees when their starting staff ultimately gets struck by the injury bug this year?
Luke Weaver may have Warren beat there. At least for now. The Yankees re-signed the right-hander to an incentive-laden contract after he impressed in a small sample size at the end of last year. Weaver, Luis Gil (who is back from Tommy John surgery) as well as prospects Clayton Beeter and Yoendrys Gómez all have a spot on the 40-man roster already. Warren does not. That shouldn’t deter him from making the club early on, though. He’ll need to be added to the roster at some point this year and if he shines in spring training — proving that he’s ready to handle a promotion to pinstripes — it’d be silly not to give him that shot.
Even if the Yankees’ starting staff stays healthy, which feels a pipe dream after the way last year went, Warren could carve out a role in the bullpen. The final spot or two of the ‘pen is presently up for grabs and Warren wouldn’t be the first prospect to kick off his career in a relief role before transitioning back to being a starter — that’s what Clarke Schmidt and King both did over these last few years.
Either way, Warren’s debut is on the horizon. Expect the hype for this prospect to climb even higher once spring training gets underway.
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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.
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