With seven All-Star selections, three AL MVP awards, five Silver Slugger awards, and several other notable honors to his name, Yankees captain Aaron Judge is undoubtedly one of the most formidable hitters in baseball.
Naturally, this makes striking him out an extremely challenging task for any pitcher. However, that is exactly what young Yankees prospect Carlos Lagrange managed to do in spring training, and that too on only three pitches.
In light of Lagrange’s impressive performances at camp so far, pundit Ryan Garcia predicted the 22-year-old to enjoy a rapid rise into the Yankees’ rotation, just like Cam Schlittler did in 2025.
“I do think Lagrange is going to need a little more seasoning in the minor leagues. I don’t think he’ll make the rotation out of spring training. But I think he can be a fast mover. His stuff is electric. He’s sitting 98.5 miles per hour in the four-seam fastball last year. There are only four starting pitchers in the history of the pitch-tracking era who have thrown as many innings as Lagrange in the big leagues in a season and sat higher than 98.5. So just think about that, this guy is an outlier in terms of starting pitching velocity,” Garcia said on the New York Post Sports YouTube channel on Wednesday (0:55).
“His sweeper and slider, two different breaking balls, they both registered whiff rates at or above 40%. And the pitch that I think not enough people are talking about is his changeup. It sits 91 miles per hour. His changeup is a lot of people’s fastball, and that pitch also generated a lot of swing and miss as well. Very excited about what he could be in 2026. I love the comparison to Cam Schlittler, because I think we’re going to see that similar timeline where maybe an injury pops up midway through the season, and around that All-Star break, the Yankees call up Lagrange, and he ends up bringing some serious heat to this rotation,” he added.
Aaron Judge Comments on Carlos Lagrange’s Performances In Yankees’ Spring Training Workouts
Speaking to insider Bryan Hoch of MLB.com on February 17, Aaron Judge praised Carlos Lagrange’s performances in the Yankees’ spring training workouts so far.
“You can look up at the radar and see a 103-mile-an-hour fastball he threw by me. But I think it’s also just the presence he has on the mound. He’s a kid that we sent up some nasty lineups against us today, and he didn’t care. He wanted to be out there, and he came right after us,” Aaron Judge said.
“That’s what you need if you’re going to play in the Bronx,” Judge added. “You’ve got to have that demeanor, that it doesn’t matter who’s in front of you or what happens. So I’m excited about him, excited about his stuff. His personality and presence — he’s going to be a special player for us.”
With experienced starters Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon unlikely to return to full fitness in time for the start of the season, there is a chance that the Yankees will offer Carlos Lagrange a chance to showcase his talent on the big stage relatively early in 2026.
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