New York Yankees top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange has a serious problem, and it's not getting any better.
During Spring Training, New York Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange absolutely lit it up. He was throwing over 100 mph, his ball was falling off the table and he had hitters completely befuddled.
Insurmountable buzz grew around Lagrange thanks to his brilliance, and there were some who even felt he could make the Yankees' big-league roster.
Of course, New York optioned him to Triple-A, which hardly came as a surprise given the tremendous depth of the team's starting rotation.
But even after his demotion, there was a general feeling that the right-hander would be up with the major-league squad at some point in 2026, even if it were in the bullpen.
However, based on how Lagrange's minor-league campaign has started, that may have changed.
Lagrange has made four starts thus far this season, going 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA. While he is still fanning hitters, having registered 18 strikeouts over 14.2 innings of work, there is no doubt that a major concern still exists with the flamethrower.
Command.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.Lagrange has already issued 10 walks, resulting in an alarming 6.1 BB/9. You really can't use the small sample size argument here, either, as control has always been a major issue for the farmhand.
The 22-year-old is averaging 5.3 free passes per nine innings for his career, which simply will not get it done in the bigs. Especially if the Yankees want to convert him into a late-inning reliever, which has been widely discussed.
Lagrange entered New York's minor-league system in 2022 and struggled finding the plate right from the get go. In fact, his best season came last year, when he managed to post a 4.7 BB/9, which is still rather high.
The Dominican native has fantastic stuff. No one is ever going to doubt that. But if he can't consistently throw strikes, he is never going to be able to develop into the frontline pitcher many are expecting.
We can cut Lagrange a little bit of slack considering it's still very early in the year, but we also cannot ignore the pattern.
Lagrange needs to get his pitches under control now. If he doesn't, he may never see the light of day with the Yankees' major-league squad.
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