Yankees prospects Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez seem legit

TAMPA, Fla. — Just about every team in baseball overhypes its prospects, and the Yankees are no different.

In fact, they're very much near the head of the pack, if not at the head of it,  when it comes to rattling off superlatives regarding their minor-leaguers.

Sometimes it is warranted. But often it is not, especially when one cross-checks those plaudits with voices outside the organization.

In the case of righthanders Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange — two of the Yankees' top pitching prospects and the starters in the club’s first two games of spring training — opposing team scouts and talent evaluators contacted in recent days by Newsday overwhelmingly returned the same verdict: The hype is warranted.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if you see both of them in the big leagues at some point this season,” said one American League scout assigned to the Yankees' minor-league system who has seen the two young pitchers extensively.

Rodriguez, 22, a fourth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2021 who came to the Yankees in December 2024 as part of the trade in which catcher Carlos Narvaez went to Boston, is a 6-3, 160-pound righthander who has dazzled in bullpen sessions and live batting practice.

Rodriguez, who will pitch for Team Puerto Rico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, looked good on Friday in Sarasota against the Orioles. Facing something close to Baltimore’s “A” lineup, one that included former Met Pete Alonso, Rodriguez allowed three hits and struck out one in three scoreless  innings.

“Seems like he has six different pitches,” said one rival AL scout. “Multiple fastballs, multiple breaking balls. Some of us [scouts] will say of a guy he has a quiet body, fast arm, and he has it. First outing against what’s close to their Opening Day lineup . . . pretty good. He was under control, hit both sides of the plate.”

Scouts use a 20-to-80 grading scale (80 being the highest), and a  National League scout said Rodriguez has a “legit 70 fastball.”

The scout added: “He’s showed the ability to throw more consistent strikes than when he was with the Red Sox . . . Secondary stuff needs to improve, but that should come with more experience.”

Rodriguez has spent time the last few offseasons in his native Puerto Rico training with and being mentored by former Mets closer Edwin Diaz.

Aaron Judge, who hit two long home runs in the Yankees’ 20-3 victory over the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field on Saturday, told Newsday he’s been keeping tabs on both prospects.

“Elmer, yesterday, against that lineup, impressive,” said Judge, who was not in Sarasota but saw some video of the outing. “He has so many different pitches — off-speed pitches, changeups. He has a good feel for it, but he’s also running it up to 95, 97 miles per hour. I think he has great presence, just like Lagrange.”

The 6-7, 248-pound Lagrange has commanded a bit more attention than Rodriguez because of a fastball that was clocked as high as 103 mph last season.

Talent evaluators both inside and outside of the Yankees' organization see Rodriguez as the more polished of the two pitchers and, hence, closer to the majors. More of them project Rodriguez breaking into the majors for sure as a starter.  Lagrange, signed out of the Dominican Republic for $10,000, is seen as more likely to break in as a reliever, at least if it’s with the Yankees this year.

“The secondary stuff isn’t there yet but . . . it’s just about consistency,” a second NL scout said of Lagrange, who allowed two runs (one earned), three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings in which he struck out two on Saturday. “But the changeup is real. That pitch has come a long way for him. He’s worked on it.”

Said another National League evaluator: “He just needs more consistency with his command and consistency of pitch shapes. That’s the main difference I see between him and Rodriguez. But [the Yankees] have done well with him. A couple of years ago, he was just a long-bodied guy with a big arm. He’s becoming a pitcher.”

Judge has talked a couple of times about being impressed with Lagrange’s mound “presence,” and on Saturday, he referenced a live batting practice session earlier in the week.

After Judge hit a long home run off Lagrange in his first at-bat, he struck out on a 102.6-mph fastball in at-bat No. 2.

“Everyone wants to talk about the 103 miles per hour or whatever, but it’s more, for me, the presence that he has on the mound,” Judge said. “The other day, he gives up a couple of hard hits, and he comes out the next inning and does his thing. To me, that speaks more volumes because playing in New York, playing with expectations . . .

"We’ve seen a lot of guys come and go with talent, but you have to have that kind of ‘X’ factor. You’ve got to have a good head on your shoulders. Some guys can get rattled by that, try a little harder and are all over the place. He came right back attacking the zone. I’ve seen plenty of guys throw 100 miles per hour here and you don’t see them [again].”