SARASOTA, Fla. — Triple-digit fastballs are nothing new for Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange.
He hit 100 mph for the first time when he was 19.
That didn’t stop the right-handed flamethrower from taking a few peeks out to right-center field at the Ed Smith Stadium scoreboard on Saturday night, checking the speed on his heater as he pitched the first four innings of Saturday’s Spring Breakout game against the Orioles.
His fastball touched 101 mph on the board.
It hit 100 mph a few more times.
Even if the radar gun was juiced by a tick or two — Statcast numbers aren’t available at Ed Smith Stadium to verify — that’s still some serious speed.
“I feel really good,” Lagrange said with a smile, sitting in front of his locker after his outing. “I throw this velo always!”
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It took the right-hander a few batters to settle in. He gave up a run in the first after a single from Baltimore speedster Enrique Bradfield Jr. An errant throw to first allowed the leadoff man to scamper ahead to third and he scored moments later on a wild pitch.
But once Lagrange found his groove, the results followed. He finished up with four innings of two-run ball in the 5-4 walk-off loss, striking out two without a walk. Lagrange retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. In fact, after Bradfield Jr.’s trip around the bases in the first, Lagrange sat down the next 11 hitters he faced in a row.
“[Getting to start] was a big, big opportunity for me,” Lagrange said through an interpreter. “It meant a lot. It was an opportunity to prove to myself and to everybody else that I’m a good pitcher and I can throw strikes.”
Lagrange, who gives off a Luis Gil vibe on the mound with his lanky 6-foot-7 frame and high-octane (while sometimes wild) stuff, is ranked as the Yankees’ No. 15 prospect by Baseball America. He’s listed at No. 19 in the Yankees’ system by MLB Pipeline. This will be the 21-year-old’s fourth year with the Yankees — he signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 — but he still hasn’t had a full season with an affiliate. He reached Class-A Tampa for the first time this past season, but pitched only 14 1/3 innings there.
Asked what his goals are for this season, Lagrange needed only two words and he didn’t need a translator.
“Stay healthy,” he said.
If he can do that, and harness his command as his arsenal develops, the right-hander has a chance to make this a breakout year and climb even higher on the club’s prospect charts.
NOTABLE
— The Yankees had a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, but Bryce Cunningham — the club’s second-round pick in last summer’s draft — gave up two runs, including a walk-off RBI single from Orioles infielder Leandro Arias.
— Yankees 2024 first-rounder Ben Hess threw two innings of one-run ball in relief of Lagrange. He struck out three and gave up two hits. This was an unofficial pro debut for both Hess and Cunningham as both right-handers didn’t pitch with an affiliate after getting drafted last summer.
— Yankees top shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. was 1-for-4 with a single, run scored, a walk and a strikeout. He looked silky smooth on defense.
— Another top prospect Spencer Jones, who homered twice in last year’s Spring Breakout, was 1-for-2 with a double. He was hit by a pitch twice as well.
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Max Goodman may be reached at [email protected].
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