TAMPA — Coming into camp, the idea that there would be an actual decision to make on whether or not Carlos Lagrange should break with the Yankees would have seemed a bit unrealistic.
That is how impressive the club’s top pitching prospect has been all spring.
On Thursday, the Yankees finally informed the 22-year-old right-hander that they were reassigning him to minor league camp, but did so with the belief that it won’t be the last time they see Lagrange this season.
“He’s made it a difficult decision, which coming into this, I wouldn’t have even thought there was a decision,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s definitely got everyone’s attention. I love where he’s at. I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season, I don’t know. But I can just tell you we’re all very excited about his continued development and what we think he can mean to our team at some point.”
The flame-throwing Lagrange did more than just light up the radar gun, though he did plenty of that, too. Most importantly, he showed a much better ability to consistently throw strikes than he has in the minor leagues, walking only four in 13 2/3 innings while posting a 0.66 ERA. He also demonstrated a good feel for his secondary pitches, which along with the improved command could go a long way in making sure he stays a starter in the long run.
It is possible that Lagrange could get up to The Bronx quicker in a relief role this season, but the way he pitched this spring only reinforced the high ceiling of what he could look like as a starter.
“You could imagine it right now being really effective in certain roles,” Boone said. “So I don’t know if we were ever going to break [camp] with him, but I would say we’ve at least talked about it.
“What he’s done the last six weeks definitely made us think maybe he’s closer than we think.”
