Carlos Lagrange and Aaron Judge recap exciting spring battle

“We sent up some nasty lineups against him today. He didn’t care. He wanted to be out there, and he came right after us. That’s what you need if you’re gonna play in the Bronx. If you’re gonna play in New York, you gotta have that demeanor,” Judge told Gary Phillips, writer for the New York Daily News and co-host of the Fireside Yankees podcast, an Empire Sports Media production.

Judge doesn’t hand out compliments like participation trophies. When he says a 22-year-old is “going to be a special player for us,” that carries weight. The Captain has seen every elite arm in baseball try to get him out for seven years. He knows what separates the prospects from the producers.

The Velocity Isn’t an Accident

Let’s talk about that 102.6 mph fastball for a second. Spring training just started, and this kid is already touching triple digits in live BP? That’s not just genetic gifts—that’s offseason work paying dividends when it matters most.

“I know 102 is really hard, but I worked out hard in the offseason,” Lagrange said. “When you do a really good job in the offseason, that’s the result.”

The Yankees’ pitching infrastructure has been retooled over the past few years. They’re teaching arm care, spin efficiency, and pitch design at a level that rivals any organization in baseball. When a prospect like Lagrange buys into that system and puts in the work, you get a 22-year-old throwing harder in February than most closers throw in September.

What This Means for the Rotation Race

Lagrange wasn’t supposed to be in the running to make the Yankees’ rotation until mid-2026 at the earliest. Given the fact that the staff is currently full, he still might not be an option. But the team is happy to see him making progress.

When you throw three innings against Judge, Bellinger, and Stanton without backing down, you change the narrative. The Yankees don’t need Lagrange right now—their rotation is set. But if one of those guys hits the IL before June, Lagrange just announced himself as a potential option, provided he shows strides with his control and command.

The front office knows this. Cashman’s been burned before by rushing prospects, but he’s also been burned by waiting too long.

The Intangibles That Separate Prospects

I keep coming back to what Judge said about demeanor. You can’t teach that. You either have the stomach for pitching in the biggest media market in sports, or you don’t. Lagrange giving up a homer to Judge and then coming back to strike him out with the kind of velocity that makes MLB scouts check their radar guns twice? That’s the signature of a kid who won’t crumble when October stakes arrive.

Three innings against three MVP-caliber hitters is a small sample size. I get it. But the Yankees have been searching for young arms with both elite stuff and the mental makeup to handle pressure since the days of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. They haven’t developed a homegrown power arm like this since Severino, and even Severino never touched 102.6 mph.

The Yankees are in win-now mode with Judge entering his age-34 season. They don’t have time to let prospects marinate in Triple-A if they’re ready to contribute. But they also can’t afford to rush a 22-year-old with this kind of upside and risk breaking him.

The smart money says Lagrange starts the season in Triple-A Scranton, gets 8-10 starts to refine his command and secondary offerings, and arrives in the Bronx sometime around June. But if he keeps dominating in spring training and someone gets hurt, all bets are off.