TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees manager Aaron Boone still brings up how blown away he was two springs ago when a pitching prospect who’d already been optioned was summoned in from the minor-league camp to make a start in Clearwater.
Luis Gil pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts facing a lot of Phillies regular that day. That led to the Dominican being picked to begin the season in the Yankees’ rotation as a fill-in starter instead of going to Triple-A, which led to 15 wins and American League Rookie of the Year.
Most spring training games are forgettable right away, but not that one.
The Yankees beating up on the Blue Jays 8-1 on Wednesday night was another exception.
This one won’t soon be forgotten, but not because Giancarlo Stanton clubbed his second and third homers in just his fourth game.
It also won’t be remembered for the late-game clubhouse excitement when pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange and several other young Dominicans in the clubhouse screamed in delight watching Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., homer for the D.R. in its World Baseball Classic win over Venezuela.
Boone won’t forget this one because the two young fireballers unleashed on the Blue Jays put on a Grapefruit League show for the ages.
First, 2025 rookie sensation Cam Schlittler started and hit 99 mph, retiring 11 of 13 hitters with six strikeouts, while allowing one run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Lagrange provided the encore. Touching 102 mph, the 6-foot-7 righty closed out the Jays with four no-hit innings. The Yankees’ No. 2 prospect fanned three and walked one while setting down 12 of 13 Jays.
Schlittler began with a close-to-immaculate first inning, three strikeouts on 10 pitches, then he fanned two more working a 1-2-3 second.
The stakes were a million times less, but Schlittler was just as good as he was last October when he struck out 12 Red Sox, pitching eight shutout innings in his do-or-die Game 3 Wild Card Series start.
“Those first two innings were about as dominant as you’re going to see,” Boone said. “Whether that’s spring training (or) any time of the year, you go 25 pitches, 20 strikes, five punches in the first two …”
It also looks like everyone can forget about the righty’s minor back and lat discomfort. Schlittler didn’t throw off a mound for a few days, but he’s been fine for weeks and now has turned in two standout starts in a row, the other 2 1/3 scoreless in facing the Rays on March 6.
“I feel great,” Schlittler said. “No hiccups or anything. My last start was great as well. I definitely feel like I’m in a good spot while ramping up the intensity.”
While Schlittler has a spot in the Yankees’ rotation, Lagrange has set himself up to make his MLB debut at some point this season. In three outings, one as a starter and two piggybacking, the 22-year-old has allowed just one run over 9 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts, three walks and a hit batter.
“He kind of makes me look like an idiot a little bit (throwing so hard), but he’s great,” Schlittler jokingly said about Lagrange. “He’s got great stuff. I’ve seen him throw since (rookie ball) back in ’23 and he’s just gotten so much better and I’m hoping he’s competing for a spot at some point this season.”
The Yankees think LaGrange can be a frontline starter in the majors because he has a wipeout slider and changeup in addition to a three-digit fastball, but the quickest promotion route could be as a reliever.
“I still think you want to find out and dream on (starting) because the biggest upside you can have is to have an impactful starting pitcher,” Boone said. “But there’s no denying what we think he could be out of the ‘pen.
“We’re not going to certainly rush him for the sake of plugging a need, especially early on, I wouldn’t think. But as he logs some innings and (if the bullpen) becomes a real need at some point, I think anything’s possible.”
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