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Max Fried throws a pitch during the top of the first inning of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 2.
Left-hander Max Fried has been lights-out to open the 2025 MLB season. He isn’t just pitching well—he’s pitching with machine-like efficiency.
“His tenure in the Bronx is somewhat overlooked,” MLB Network host Greg Amsinger started. “He has been incredibly valuable to their success this year.”
Reporter Jon Morosi didn’t hesitate to agree:
“For a rotation that is without Cole right now, and Luis Gil has had some ups and downs, Max Fried has been the metronome of the Yankees season,” Morosi said.
Fried Off to Historic Start in Pinstripes
Fried, who signed an 8-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees this offseason, has delivered ace-level production in the Bronx: 1.05 ERA over 51.2 innings, league-best WHIP (0.91), and an undefeated 6-0 record in his starts.
“Fried is having, objectively, the best start to a Yankee career of any high-profile acquisition ever,” Morosi said. “Through the first seven starts, better than Cole, Tanaka, CC, and Mussina.”
In recognition of his outstanding performance, Fried was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for March/April 2025. This marks his second career Pitcher of the Month award, having previously earned the honor in September 2021 with the Atlanta Braves.
Fried is the first Yankees pitcher to receive this distinction since Luis Gil in May 2024 and the first Yankees left-hander since CC Sabathia in July 2011. He joins an elite group of Yankees southpaws who have earned this award, including Andy Pettitte, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Jimmy Key, and Dave Righetti.
Jackson Merrill’s return adds contact, power and speed to the Padres lineup, but they have a tough task in Max Fried tonight.
@jonmorosi has more on the matchup as we preview our #MLBNShowcase.
The pitching pulse of the Bronx
Media outlets have already begun highlighting Fried’s impact. Greg Joyce of the New York Post called him “the most valuable Yankee” in a recent column, citing how Fried has “saved” the team amid a wave of pitching injuries and inconsistency elsewhere in the rotation.
And when the Hall of Fame was mentioned? Morosi jumped at the opportunity to say Fried is “probably headed” in that direction.
In addition to durability and efficiency, Fried has held opponents to a .187 batting average and averaged about 12.4 pitches per inning, allowing the Yankees bullpen to stay fresh in a tightly scheduled April and May.
His fastball has also ticked up since his Braves days, and he’s mixing his curveball more often in early counts, keeping hitters off-balance and forcing early outs. According to MLB.com, Fried leads the AL in innings pitched and quality starts.
Fried setting the pace
The Yankees still lead the league in batting average (.258), slugging (.465) and home runs (62)—a lot of that production has come from Aaron Judge, who is slashing .400/.491/.750, and Paul Goldschmidt, hitting .341. That offensive eruption is getting much of the attention, but it’s Fried’s reliability that has helped keep the Yankees from spiraling early.
“I feel like I’m throwing the ball well,” Fried said. “As far as the results or the ERA–all that kind of stuff–I can’t really put a finger on it. I’ve kind of said it before, I’ve got great teammates being able to make big plays.”
“Just going out there and trying to compete and try to win games,” Fried added. “I’m just trying to keep it as simple as that.”
Alyssa Polczynski Alyssa Polczynski is a multimedia journalist covering Major League Baseball for Heavy.com. She has experience as an editorial producer for MLB.com and contributed to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). More about Alyssa Polczynski
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