Yankees eighth-round pick Will Warren skyrocketing up prospect lists
BRIDGEWATER – There might not have been a New York Yankees prospect who did more to boost his stock last season than Will Warren.
An eighth-round draft pick out of little-known Southeastern Louisiana University in 2021, the 23-year-old righty didn’t make his pro debut until the following year, when he needed just eight starts after an ambitious season-opening assignment to High-A Hudson Valley before he earned a promotion to Double-A Somerset.
He finished the season with the Patriots having posted a 7-6 record and 4.02 ERA over the course of 18 outings but seemed to run out of gas at times late in the year; understandable for someone who hadn’t pitched into July before. He posted a 4.08 and 8.74 ERA over the last two months, respectively, but has taken steps this offseason to make sure he’s ready for the rigors of a full pro year.
“Last year, I had strength camp or whatever they call it now, and so I did that before going into the season, and I was a little tired towards the back half,” Warren said during his media day interview prior to the start of the season.
“Now, I got a full offseason, I got some rest. I’m building up a little later, I guess. So, I think that’s going to help me keep my stamina going into the second half.”
How that ends up remains to be seen for the very affable starter, who is 1-0 with a 4.82 ERA in his first two starts this season, having struck out 13 batters in just 9 1/3 innings. Ranked the No. 9 prospect in the Yankees system by MLB Pipeline and No. 7 by Baseball America, how that’ll unfold could very likely take place at Triple-A Scranton if his trajectory remains the same, with a promotion around the All-Star break certainly not out of the question.
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Until then, however, he’ll hone his craft in Bridgewater, featuring an improved arsenal from what he had during his breakout campaign in 2022. Most notably, Warren has an extra couple ticks on his fastball, touching 97-98 mph during spring training, although he sat closer to 93-95 mph during his first home outing.
Having that extra velocity in his back pocket won’t change his approach, however.
“I don’t think I’m going to do anything differently, it’s just stacking good pitches on top of good pitches,” he said. “We did add a cutter, and a four-seam, so I guess I can pitch a little differently up in the zone now. I don’t think I did anything differently than I did last year, just went into the offseason working out, eating and trying to gain weight as always. I think that’s what helped me out there.”
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Yankees: Will Warren skyrocketing up prospect lists
