TAMPA, Fla. – The bullpen beneath George M. Steinbrenner Field’s right-field stands offered a glimpse of the future on Saturday afternoon, with Carlos Lagrange flashing the electricity that has the Yankees so intrigued.
As Lagrange fired pitch after pitch -- including a fastball that has touched 102 mph in games -- manager Aaron Boone stood behind him with his arms crossed, as though trying to decide exactly what his team could have here.
“We’re excited about him, for good reason,” Boone said of Lagrange, ranked as baseball’s No. 79 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $10,000 in February 2022, the 22-year-old Lagrange has the makings of a lottery ticket that could pay off.
At 6-foot-7 and 248 pounds, Lagrange cuts an imposing presence before he even throws a pitch. Add in a heavy diamond-studded chain that he says is part of his “flow,” and the presence only grows.
Minor League hitters felt it in 2025. Armed with that triple-digit heat plus a slider, cutter and changeup, Lagrange opened the season with High-A Hudson Valley before earning a promotion to Double-A Somerset.
Overall, Lagrange was 11-8 with a 3.53 ERA in 24 games (23 starts), striking out 168 batters against 82 hits and 62 walks in 120 innings.
“I think the biggest improvement is commanding the strike zone better,” Lagrange said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “I had a full offseason that allowed me to train for the upcoming season. If there were any mistakes we wanted to fix, it gave me the opportunity to do that.”
COMPLETE YANKEES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Lagrange and right-hander Elmer Rodríguez – the club’s No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline – are among the “young pups” that general manager Brian Cashman says will give fans plenty to watch, both of them primed to make their Major League debuts as soon as this season.
“From my side of the fence, I certainly get a lot of calls on them, and understandably so,” Cashman said. “I have a lot of interest in retaining them. I look forward to seeing how their camp goes this year. You’ll see the talent.
“It’s just another step in their development, getting a chance to lock up against and learn from some of these vets, and to face some of the hitters that they get a chance to see on TV.”
Boone mentioned Dellin Betances, another towering right-hander with big velocity, when discussing his early impressions of Lagrange.
“I think back to when Dellin was at his best,” Boone said. “Dellin was taller (6-foot-8) and even a little different, but when he was on, you’d just see some consistently really bad swings against him. So I think Carlos has a very bright future.”
While many starting pitchers get their first tastes of the big leagues as a reliever, Cashman said it is too early to determine if the Yankees will do so for Lagrange or Rodríguez. It’s not off the table, though.
“It’s easy to always say you want to keep guys in the starting rotation and stay on their turn and continue their journey,” Cashman said. “At the same time, you’ve got to rob Peter to pay Paul at times, and do that balancing act where you’ve got to service the Major League club.”
Boone said Lagrange’s internal reputation has been just as strong as the on-field performance.
“He’s one of the kids over there that you just get really great makeup reports on,” Boone said. “He’s a leader, he takes initiative. He’s got a lot of the tangibles as well as obviously a ton of talent.”
Apprised of Boone’s review, Lagrange said he embraces the responsibility of helping younger players adjust to the organization.
“Sometimes they don’t know how to do certain things, or maybe getting adjusted to doing certain things,” Lagrange said. “If things have worked out for me, I’m more than able to share with them. Hopefully it works for them, too.”
Three days into his time in big league camp, Lagrange said he is already benefiting from exposure to veteran pitchers and catchers, specifically mentioning training alongside Max Fried. Imagine what he could do with a whole spring.
“I want to show that I can compete,” Lagrange said.