TAMPA, Fla. -- No one turned more heads in Yankees camp than Carlos Lagrange, a flame-throwing right-hander whose triple-digit fastball and knee-buckling secondary pitches drew attention from even the club’s most experienced veterans.
Lagrange’s performance sparked internal debate, too, as officials wrestled with having the club’s top pitching prospect break camp. Though he was reassigned to Minor League camp on Thursday, the fact Lagrange’s name entered the conversation shows how far he has come, manager Aaron Boone said.
“He made it a difficult decision,” Boone said. “Coming into this, I wouldn’t have even thought there was a decision. He’s definitely got everyone’s attention. I love where he’s at. I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season.
“I can just tell you, we’re all very excited about his continued development and what we think he could mean to our team at some point.”
The reassignment came a day after Lagrange -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect (No. 79 overall) -- fired four scoreless innings in relief of Gerrit Cole against the Red Sox, lowering his spring ERA to 0.66.
In 13 2/3 innings, Lagrange scattered six hits with four walks against 13 strikeouts. The only run he permitted came on a solo homer, hit by the Tigers’ Corey Julks back on Feb. 21.
“I’m proud of him,” Boone said. “It was my first chance to get to be around him and get to see the person. That’s what I’ve been so impressed with -- his work ethic, his confidence, his adaptability, his coachability, his competitiveness.”
Lagrange said after Wednesday’s outing that he feels ready to face Major League hitters, pointing to several areas of growth this spring.
“Attacking the zone, being able to execute with two strikes more consistently, staying calm on the mound regardless of the situation,” Lagrange said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “I think doing that gives me a good idea that I’m ready to compete.”
That sentiment was shared throughout the clubhouse. Cole was among those who took note of the 6-foot-7, 248-pound right-hander, gushing earlier in camp, “It’s like, silly. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Austin Wells raved after catching Lagrange on Wednesday, saying, “I don’t have any doubts he could help us right now.”
And Max Fried -- having just completed a final tuneup before his March 25 Opening Night assignment against the Giants -- offered a similar assessment.
“I’ve never seen velocity like that, consistently and doing it over a bunch of innings,” Fried said. “He works really hard. He’s really open to a lot of information, and obviously his results speak for themselves. He’s been really good. He’ll definitely impact this team.”
Though Lagrange pitched Wednesday in relief, the Yankees envision him continuing to build as a starter. He could begin the year back in Double-A Somerset, where he was 7-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) last season.
Considering his spring performance, it’s more likely Lagrange gets moved to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre -- placing him within reach of a callup that could come sooner rather than later.
“That time will come when it’s meant to be,” Boone said. “I’m really excited about him and confident he’s probably going to impact us in a big way at some point.”