Post by jiminy on Mar 21, 2024 9:57:06 GMT -5
The Yankees’ fifth starter competition: Will Warren and Clayton Beeter
The two rookies in the Yankees’ fifth starter competition, Beeter and Warren both have pitched their way into consideration between 2023 and spring training.
www.pinstripealley.com/2024/3/21/24107299/yankees-fifth-starter-will-warren-clayton-beeter-opening-day-roster-rookies-control-repertoire
The case for Will Warren
Among the Yankees pitching prospects in the high minors, Warren might very well be the most polished of all. He opened the 2023 campaign dominating in Double-A (2.45 ERA, 1.84 FIP and 39 strikeouts in 29.1 innings), then spent the majority of the season in Triple-A.
There, he posted a 3.61 ERA, which is good considering the league’s scoring environment. In Scranton, Warren showed one of the best things a pitcher can have: the ability to make adjustments. He was clobbered to the tune of a 5.52 ERA in his first 44 innings, but bounced back and posted a strong 2.10 ERA in his last 55.2 frames. The 24-year-old has a 4.35 spring ERA in 10.1 innings, but it comes with a solid 13/3 K/BB ratio.
Warren has the stuff to be a quality fifth starter, starting with a 93-94 mph fastball and a wide array of effective secondary pitches: a sweeper, a sinker, a cutter and a changeup. Command will be the key here, but there is a fair chance it’s good enough to be a starter in MLB one day.Will that day be closer than we all think?
The case against Will Warren
Warren’s walk rate last year was far from a disaster, but flirted with 10 percent in both Double-A and Triple-A. MLB hitters are the best in the world, and the young right-hander will need to make sure bases on balls aren’t a problem.The most obvious thing working against Warren is that he is the only pitcher among fifth starter candidates who is not on the 40-man roster. Gil, Weaver, and even Beeter are, and that might be a deciding factor.
The case for Clayton Beeter
The Yankees’ return in the Joey Gallo trade with the Dodgers, Beeter has incredible stuff. In his report of top Yanks prospects, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen gives each of his three pitches (fastball, curveball, and slider) a 60-grade, which means above-average.
Beeter sits in the mid-90s and can touch 97 mph with his heater, and his breaking pitches can generate a lot of swings and misses. He ran strikeout rates near 30 percent (29.7 percent in Double-A and 28.1 percent in Scranton) at each stop last year. Beeter has brought some of that strikeout stuff to spring training, where he has a 3.46 ERA and 13 punchouts in 13 frames. Even if he doesn’t win the fifth starter spot, Beeter has been impressive and should be monitored closely.
Beeter is also already on the 40-man roster, so his inclusion as a member of the rotation would represent an easier alternative than Warren’s.
The case against Clayton Beeter
Beeter, simply put, hasn’t shown major-league caliber control and command to this point. Last year, he posted a 12.1 percent walk rate in Double-A and a 13.9 percent mark in Triple-A. In the past, it has routinely been in the double digits. Granted, he is currently sporting a 7.5 percent walk rate in the spring, but 13 innings won’t overshadow the 131.2 he pitched in Somerset and Scranton in 2023. He has major work to do in that area, and trusting him with a big league starting role might not be the best idea.
Additionally, and unlike Warren, Beeter hasn’t mastered Triple-A. He was incredible in Double-A last year with a 2.08 ERA in 60.2 frames, but once he got to Stranton, he was not as reliable. In Triple-A, the righty posted a 4.94 ERA in 71 innings, with 5.58 walks per nine and 1.90 home runs per nine. Walks and homers doomed him and took his FIP to a horrible 5.76. With so many quality options, the Yankees should be able to afford giving Beeter some extra Triple-A time.
The two rookies in the Yankees’ fifth starter competition, Beeter and Warren both have pitched their way into consideration between 2023 and spring training.
www.pinstripealley.com/2024/3/21/24107299/yankees-fifth-starter-will-warren-clayton-beeter-opening-day-roster-rookies-control-repertoire
The case for Will Warren
Among the Yankees pitching prospects in the high minors, Warren might very well be the most polished of all. He opened the 2023 campaign dominating in Double-A (2.45 ERA, 1.84 FIP and 39 strikeouts in 29.1 innings), then spent the majority of the season in Triple-A.
There, he posted a 3.61 ERA, which is good considering the league’s scoring environment. In Scranton, Warren showed one of the best things a pitcher can have: the ability to make adjustments. He was clobbered to the tune of a 5.52 ERA in his first 44 innings, but bounced back and posted a strong 2.10 ERA in his last 55.2 frames. The 24-year-old has a 4.35 spring ERA in 10.1 innings, but it comes with a solid 13/3 K/BB ratio.
Warren has the stuff to be a quality fifth starter, starting with a 93-94 mph fastball and a wide array of effective secondary pitches: a sweeper, a sinker, a cutter and a changeup. Command will be the key here, but there is a fair chance it’s good enough to be a starter in MLB one day.Will that day be closer than we all think?
The case against Will Warren
Warren’s walk rate last year was far from a disaster, but flirted with 10 percent in both Double-A and Triple-A. MLB hitters are the best in the world, and the young right-hander will need to make sure bases on balls aren’t a problem.The most obvious thing working against Warren is that he is the only pitcher among fifth starter candidates who is not on the 40-man roster. Gil, Weaver, and even Beeter are, and that might be a deciding factor.
The case for Clayton Beeter
The Yankees’ return in the Joey Gallo trade with the Dodgers, Beeter has incredible stuff. In his report of top Yanks prospects, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen gives each of his three pitches (fastball, curveball, and slider) a 60-grade, which means above-average.
Beeter sits in the mid-90s and can touch 97 mph with his heater, and his breaking pitches can generate a lot of swings and misses. He ran strikeout rates near 30 percent (29.7 percent in Double-A and 28.1 percent in Scranton) at each stop last year. Beeter has brought some of that strikeout stuff to spring training, where he has a 3.46 ERA and 13 punchouts in 13 frames. Even if he doesn’t win the fifth starter spot, Beeter has been impressive and should be monitored closely.
Beeter is also already on the 40-man roster, so his inclusion as a member of the rotation would represent an easier alternative than Warren’s.
The case against Clayton Beeter
Beeter, simply put, hasn’t shown major-league caliber control and command to this point. Last year, he posted a 12.1 percent walk rate in Double-A and a 13.9 percent mark in Triple-A. In the past, it has routinely been in the double digits. Granted, he is currently sporting a 7.5 percent walk rate in the spring, but 13 innings won’t overshadow the 131.2 he pitched in Somerset and Scranton in 2023. He has major work to do in that area, and trusting him with a big league starting role might not be the best idea.
Additionally, and unlike Warren, Beeter hasn’t mastered Triple-A. He was incredible in Double-A last year with a 2.08 ERA in 60.2 frames, but once he got to Stranton, he was not as reliable. In Triple-A, the righty posted a 4.94 ERA in 71 innings, with 5.58 walks per nine and 1.90 home runs per nine. Walks and homers doomed him and took his FIP to a horrible 5.76. With so many quality options, the Yankees should be able to afford giving Beeter some extra Triple-A time.
