This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch¡¯s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA, Fla. -- They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but Will Warren was able to revisit his Major League debut earlier this spring, an outing that provided an opportunity for the young right-hander to show what he has learned in a year¡¯s time.
Drawing the Phillies for a March 4 exhibition, Warren -- the Yankees¡¯ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline -- scanned the lineup card and noticed it was almost the same one he faced in Philadelphia last July 30; seven of the nine batters were in the order. He remembered many of the scouting reports, which Warren applied in holding them to a run over three innings.
Injuries to ace Gerrit Cole and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil have elevated Warren¡¯s importance to the starting rotation, and the Yankees are banking that the 25-year-old will carry over the encouraging signs he is showing this spring.
¡°The opportunity has presented itself, unfortunately, because of the circumstances,¡± Warren said. ¡°I came into camp knowing that I needed to go earn a spot and take a spot, and so I haven¡¯t changed my mindset on that. I think it¡¯s still, ¡®Go through, go do what you¡¯re supposed to do and show them who Will Warren is.¡¯¡±
It¡¯s a challenge he has taken seriously. Having reincorporated a curveball that he¡¯d shelved for years and tweaked the grip of his changeup, Warren has pitched to a 2.87 ERA across five Grapefruit League games (four starts), limiting opponents to six runs (five earned) and nine hits across 15 2/3 innings.
Warren, who is scheduled to start Thursday against the Orioles in Sarasota, Fla., has permitted just three walks against 16 strikeouts. It¡¯s a drastic improvement over last season, when he was thumped to a 10.32 ERA in 22 2/3 big league innings in the regular season. Too often, Warren fell behind hitters, forcing him to throw meaty fastballs in hitters¡¯ counts.
¡°I feel like he¡¯s better; the arsenal continues to improve,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°The stuff is there. The continued improvement with the changeup, curveball, cutter, all give him things he can feature to a lefty. He¡¯s got that sinker/slider that gives him a built-in advantage, as nasty as it is, against righties. It¡¯s good to see.¡±
Warren said he has spent a lot of time this spring engaging in mind exercises with teammates like Cole, Carlos Rod¨®n and Clarke Schmidt.
¡°Just talking about sequencing,¡± Warren said. ¡°I¡¯ll run at-bats and scenarios by them, like, ¡®Hey, what should I do here in this situation? This is the count, this is what I¡¯ve got, how I got to this place. How am I going to have success at this point?¡¯¡±
Though Warren¡¯s first start in Philadelphia went well enough -- he held the Phils to four runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 7-6 Yankees extra-innings win while filling in for Cole, who was said to be dealing with fatigue -- his numbers would soon be inflated by rough outings against the Angels (8 ER in 4 1/3 IP) and Rockies (5 ER in 3 IP).
Austin Wells, who caught Warren¡¯s Major League debut, said the pitcher is now ¡°probably a little more in control of himself and aware of what makes him good.¡± Describing what he learned from last season, Warren boils it down to this: ¡°Guys are sitting on the fastball, especially in this league.¡±
¡°You feel like your back is against the wall [when you fall behind in the count], so your mindset changes a little bit,¡± Warren said. "After that experience with failure, now I¡¯m not [thinking] as much about minimizing damage. I¡¯m like, ¡®All right, here it is. Let¡¯s see how far you can hit it.¡¯ At the end of the day, I think that confidence is the difference between maybe a swing and miss, or a ground ball or flyout, rather than a double down the line.¡±
Warren¡¯s final appearance of the year came in the penultimate game of the regular season, when he allowed three runs in an inning to the Pirates. Warren absorbed those body blows and also the accompanying lessons; he believes his spring performances show he is ready to become a reliable big league contributor.
¡°Absolutely,¡± Warren said. ¡°I came into camp thinking that, too. I can¡¯t really control anything other than how well I go out there and throw the ball, so that¡¯s been my mindset the whole time.¡±