Will Warren Taking Lead For Fifth Rotation Spot

Coming into this Spring, Will Warren was viewed as one of the best pitching prospects in the Yankees system, alongside righty Chase Hampton. But after the injury to Gerrit Cole, Warren has firmly put himself into a position to win a rotation spot for the Yankees in Cole’s absence.

Warren is yet another example of the Yankees drafting pitchers in the later rounds and developing them into valuable arms. Warren was an 8th round pick in 2021, and the Yankees have done everything to maximize his arsenal. The main story with Warren is his sweeper and sinker. Those are plus-plus pitches. His sweeper had a 133 stuff+ in Triple-A last year, and helped Warren generate a lot of whiffs, Warren pitching well in Triple-A is even more impressive because in the International League where Warren pitched, the run environment was legitimately insane, where the average ERA was way north of 5.00, while Warren sported a 3.61 in 21 appearances. Warren’s other plus pitch is the sinker, which the Yankees love to develop in their pitchers, and Warren is able to not only get whiffs but generate weak contact and ground balls, which the Yankees like.

The Yankees and their scouts and front office believe that Warren can be a valuable asset to the Yankees rotation in the absence of reigning Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole. And though time will tell, Warren has all of the potential to be a very good arm in the majors for years to come. If Warren is able to be that, the Yankees will have a homegrown arm for at least the next six seasons.