New York Yankees 2023 Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Justin Lange
InsideThePinstripes.com will review each of the New York Yankees’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2023 season.
No. 27: RHP Justin Lange, Tampa Tarpons (Class-A), Hudson Valley Renegades (High-A)
Statistics for 2023: Went 2-5, 4.75 ERA, 21 games (all starts). Threw 85.1 innings, allowed 62 hits, 56 runs (45 earned), eight home runs. Struck out 131, walked 63, .197 opponent batting average, 1.46 WHIP.
At Tampa: Went 1-4, 4.58 ERA, 18 games (all starts). Threw 72.2 innings, allowed 50 hits, 48 runs (37 earned), eight home runs. Struck out 115, walked 55, .189 opponent batting average, 1.44 WHIP.
At Hudson Valley: Went 1-1, 5.68, three games (all starts). Threw 12.2 innings, allowed 12 hits, eight runs (all earned), no home runs. Struck out 16, walked eight. .240 opponent batting average, 1.58 WHIP.
Season Transactions: Lange started the season with Tampa. On Aug. 15 he was promoted to Hudson Valley. On Sept. 5, the Yankees moved him to the developmental list.
Season Summary: In some ways this was a successful year. He dropped his 2023 ERA two points below his 2022 ERA at rookie ball. With Tampa, he held hitters under a .200 batting average, which was the lowest of his three-year career in the minors. The 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Tampa is serviceable for a young pitcher. His ERA jumped a point at Hudson Valley in three starts. The opponent batting average jumped 51 points. But the strikeout-to-walk ratio held steady. The Yankees moved him to the developmental list to refine his control.
Path Through the Organization: Lange could throw a 100-mile-per-hour fastball in high school, and even though the COVID-19 pandemic limited scouting and the MLB Draft to five rounds in 2020, the San Diego Padres snapped him up in the first round supplemental and paid him $2 million in slot money. The Yankees got him for Luke Voit in March of 2022. With the Yankees, his development has accelerated, as he improved enough from 2022 to 2023 to earn a promotion to Hudson Valley.
What’s next: He’s just 21 and lost a development year to COVID, so he’s unlikely to help the Yankees for a bit longer. While MLB.com says that he can still hit close to 100 mph on the radar gun, he’s working to develop consistent secondary pitches. As he projects to be a starter if he reaches the Majors those secondary pitches will be key. Look for him to remain at Hudson Valley to start 2024, unless he has an exceptional Spring Training.
2023 New York Yankees Top 30 Prospect Wraps:
No No. 30 Elijah Dunham | No. 29 Danny Watson | No. 28 Edgar Barclay |
