The Hudson Valley Renegades have gained a ton of attention in the Yankees news cycle for their fearsome foursome of Ben Hess, Bryce Cunningham, Carlos Lagrange, and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Those four starters all were considered picks to click in the organization due to either their draft or prospect status entering the season, but it has left some other arms on that team overshadowed.
One of those pitchers is right-hander Josh Grosz, who delivered one of the best starts for any Hudson Valley pitcher this season when he completed 6.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out nine hitters and walking none. With a strong mix that includes a good four-seam fastball that sits between 93-95 MPH, a sharp gyro slider, and an improving changeup with good two-plane movement.
Josh Grosz Looking Sharp, Yankees Have Another Pitching Prospect Shining
The Yankees selected Josh Grosz in the 11th Round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and last season, he had an up-and-down season as he pitched at three different levels of their organization. His 4.00 ERA in Single-A was a product of an incredibly high BABIP, but he settled in during the second half and earned a promotion to High-A with the Hudson Valley Renegades.
His 2.77 ERA with the Renegades was good, but the 20.5% K% and 13.2% BB% were below-average, and he’d have to improve on those marks to continue rising through the organization. The Yankees had him repeat in High-A this year after those seven starts, and while his ERA has risen to 4.30, the strikeout and walk numbers are vastly improved.
Josh Grosz is walking just 8.9% of batters faced with a 30.7% strikeout rate, as he’s been a swing-and-miss machine for Hudson Valley.
While there are still some command hiccups, Josh Grosz has been able to hone his three-pitch mix from last season to get outs against some good competition in the South Atlantic League.
He throws his four-seamer from a lower arm angle than most pitchers at 32 degrees, getting 16.1 inches of Induced Vertical Break, which allows it to play at the top of the zone. His gyro slider has tight spin that can cause hitters to swing over it at the bottom of the zone, as it’s an effective pitch against both righties and lefties.
Grosz also possesses a changeup that has good vertical separation off of his fastball, and while his changeup doesn’t have the huge speed differential that some pitchers chase, I think it’s an excellent offering that’s evolved into a reliable weapon.
Earlier in the 2024 season, his changeup averaged between 7-8 inches of IVB, but in his final few starts, we saw that number drop more as he found ways to kill spin more effectively.
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The ability to kill spin on his changeup created way more depth, and that depth makes the changeup devastating against left-handed hitters since it plays better off of his fastball at the top of the zone. Josh Grosz strikes me as a pitcher who has the stuff to be an effective MLB pitcher, but his strike-throwing abilities, health, and arsenal depth will determine whether he’ll be a starter or reliever.
Josh Grosz is throwing strikes at a slightly higher rate than he did last season, although his first-pitch strike rate has dipped a bit, so it seems that he’s not putting himself in an advantageous situation to get outs. That’s an easy fix and something I expect to see improve as he continues to pitch with Hudson Valley, as the Renegades have done an excellent job refining the Yankees’ top pitching prospects.
Entering 2025, I did not rank Josh Grosz in my top 30 prospects, but this strong start and the ability to get swings-and-misses have put him right in that conversation. He could be an effective swingman at the Major League level who might develop into a backend starter, and for an 11th Round Pick that would be a roaring success.