Not a lot of people knew who Carlos Lagrange was when he was named the Yankees‘ starter for the Spring Breakout Game. He allowed just one earned run across four innings pitched versus the Orioles’ top prospects, hitting 102 MPH multiple times in the performance. Lagrange has always had immense potential, but in his first three pro seasons, he hadn’t seen it materialize into on-field results. Across nine appearances in the FCL and Single-A, Lagrange had a 6.86 ERA and walked 20% of batters faced, but he’s different now.
The Yankees promoted Lagrange to High-A Hudson Valley despite not doing much with the Tampa Tarpons, but the right-hander has taken the new challenge in stride. His stuff looks incredible, striking out over 40% of batters faced through his first five starts, and this could be a top-100 prospect in the making if he keeps this up.
Carlos Lagrange Making Strong Case For Being the Yankees’ Top Pitching Prospect
Through five starts this season, Carlos Lagrange is averaging five innings pitched per game with a 3.55 ERA, but the underlying metrics are what make him stand out. The right-hander leads all qualified High-A pitchers in K% (41.4%) and Swinging Strike% (18.2%), as he’s been arguably the most dominant pitcher at that level thus far. His ERA is inflated by one bad start, with the data suggesting that he’s performing more like a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher.
Lagrange is currently sixth in FIP (2.59) and third in xFIP (2.54), as he’s not walking a lot of batters or allowing the home run ball at a high clip either. The strides in command are almost hard to believe, making massive improvements in both his ability to get ahead in the count early and continue to pound the zone. Last season, Carlos Lagrange had an underwhelming 55.5% Strike%, but this year he’s landing 68.2% of his pitches for strikes.
His first-pitch strike rate has improved as well, going from 41% to 54.5% in just one offseason, as he looks far more controlled and poised mechanically. It’s a simple delivery, using his towering 6’7 frame to generate tons of force and extension as he strides towards the plate, and it causes his fastball to explode out of his hand. Lagrange regularly touches 100 MPH, sitting closer to 98-99 MPH, and this fastball has improved vertical ride compared to 2024.
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Carlos Lagrange giving me serious Luis Severino vibes.
Nine-pitch at-bat, paints a fastball for the strikeout, then grabs his nuts and is AMPED. pic.twitter.com/9XmXWsiCvX
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) May 8, 2025
Throwing from a 35-degree arm angle, this is a fastball that has a combination of plus traits that, when combined, create a truly elite pitch. It’s a pitch that creates uncomfortable looks for hitters and can get a 70-grade with the aforementioned improvements in pitch shape, but what about the rest of his repertoire? The first pitch that stands out ot me is his big slider, a sweeping breaking ball that he began toying around with during the Arizona Fall League.
It’s a great weapon against right-handed hitters that’s made even nastier by a wide release point that can create tough angles for hitters to pick up. His cutter from last season remains an excellent pitch he can throw against lefties, generating good vertical drop, and the changeup has been an effective pitch he can throw for strikes. It’s a complete repertoire, and Lagrange’s feel for moving the ball laterally stems from his natural arm action.
Despite the tall frame, Carlos Lagrange has a lower arm angle and naturally gets run or sweep when he spins the ball effectively, and the Yankees have done extensive work translating those traits into movement. Now that he’s generating more efficient spin on some of these pitches, he’s capable of just tearing through a lineup on any given night, and we could see him in Double-A sooner rather than later.
There’s a real conversation to be had around whether High-A presents enough of a challenge for Carlos Lagrange, but the same could be said for some of his fellow starters in Hudson Valley. Bryce Cunningham and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz have made it look easy, while Ben Hess has been a strikeout machine for the Renegades. Who gets promoted first is a difficult question to answer, but a strong argument could be made for Lagrange to get promoted first.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz has the most High-A experience and has the best FIP on the team, which is why I think he’s the favorite for a promotion, but Carlos Lagrange leads him in two important categories. The first is fastball velocity; the most projectable trait is outlier velocity, guys who have touched 101-102 MPH have a much higher chance of reaching the big leagues than pitchers who don’t.
The second data point we can reference is K-BB%, as Lagrange’s 34.3% K-BB% is the best mark for any High-A pitcher with at least 20 IP. ERA doesn’t hold much weight at the Minor League level, but what the numbers have shown us is that K-BB% is the best stat to use at both the Minor and Major League levels to predict which pitchers will be the best run preventers.
While he wasn’t ranked in Baseball America’s top 100 update that came out earlier this week, Carlos Lagrange is 100% worthy of that honor. If he keeps this up, I wouldn’t be shocked to see an extremely aggressive ranking from a major publication in the coming weeks. The Yankees should capitalize on this momentum by rocketing him up to Somerset to join George Lombard Jr. before the All-Star Break, and maybe send some of his teammates in that stacked rotation as well.