Yankees' top pitching prospects a filthy one-two punch in Triple-A victory
This browser does not support the video element.
Facing MLB’s No. 60 prospect on the mound is tough. Dealing with MLB’s No. 73 prospect as a reliever afterward? That’s nearly unfair.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre proved as much on Tuesday, employing that exact pairing in its 5-2 win over Lehigh Valley at PNC Field. New York’s top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez toed the rubber for 6 1/3 strong frames before handing the ball to flamethrowing right-hander Carlos Lagrange to finish the contest. Across nine frames, the duo gave up just two runs on six hits, while striking out seven.
The outing marked Rodríguez’s longest of the season and lowered his Triple-A ERA to 2.74 -- the best among full-season Yankees prospects (min. 40 innings).
Right from the jump, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect looked sharp. He induced a groundout from the first batter he faced before punching out the next two hitters to close the frame. His first victim, Felix Reyes (Phillies), fanned on a 77.7 mph 12-to-6 curveball. The next batter, Otto Kemp, went down looking at a 97.3 mph heater on the inside corner.
In total, the Puerto Rico native allowed one run on three hits and two walks. He tallied four punchouts while throwing 52 of 84 pitches for strikes, producing six whiffs.
Rodríguez found success by limiting hard contact with just five of the 16 balls put in play against the right-hander registering as hard-hit (an exit velocity 95 mph or higher). Furthermore, only six batted-ball events went in the air, and two of them were infield popups.
This season, Rodríguez has solidified himself as one of baseball's most steady prospects. If you include the three starts he has made for the Yankees, he's given up more than two runs in just three of his 12 outings.
For the final 2 2/3 frames of the victory, the RailRiders called on Lagrange. The Yankees’ No. 4 prospect is transitioning to the bullpen in hopes of bolstering the big league squad this season. Tuesday was his second relief appearance since the switch -- he tossed four scoreless frames in relief last Wednesday with seven strikeouts.
This browser does not support the video element.
Per usual, the 6-foot-7 right-hander with a 70-grade four-seamer lit up the radar gun Tuesday. He eclipsed 101 mph on six of his 10 four-seam fastballs thrown, topping out at 102.1 mph. Lagrange has thrown 96 pitches at 100 mph or faster this season. In the bigs, only Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), Edgardo Henriquez (LAD) and Mason Miller (SD) have thrown more.
All told, Lagrange gave up three knocks, a walk and a run while striking out three. On the season, he has a 4.04 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Through his two relief appearances, he has fanned 10 and allowed one run over 6 2/3 frames.
The 23-year-old could wind up as a starter down the line, but it’s easy to dream on the impact his electric arm could make out of relief in the Bronx sometime soon.