Yankees Ace Max Fried Earns Generous Spot in Latest MLB Player Rankings

The New York Yankees suffered a series of tough blows to their starting rotation during spring training.

Reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will miss months with a shoulder issue, and the start of Clarke Schmidt's regular season is delayed due to rotator cuff tendinitis.

Ace Gerrit Cole is lost for the year due to Tommy John surgery, and the impact of that can't be overstated. Cole is one of the game's true workhorses at the top of the rotation, and he's a surefire top 20 player in the sport at any position when he's healthy.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman acted quickly in free agency to bring another high-end ace to the Yankees' rotation to slot behind Cole, and the addition of Max Fried from the Atlanta Braves looks especially wise now.

Even in Cole's absence, the Yankees still have a pitcher who can both reliably eat innings and dominate opponents in doing so.

Fried's track record in Atlanta was so outstanding that he is regarded by experts as one of the sport's elite players at any position.

ESPN released its updated top 100 player rankings on Wednesday, with Fried grabbing the No. 27 spot overall and placing fifth among starting pitchers.

The Yankees gave Fried an eight-year, $218 million contract in December, intending him to be the No. 2 starter in a loaded rotation. A lot has changed since then."

"Fried is now the ace. The Yankees are counting on Fried to replicate his success in Atlanta, which will require staying healthy after spending time on the IL the past two seasons because of forearm injuries," per the site.

Since 2020, Fried has missed significant time only once out of five seasons, and he has never posted an ERA worse than his 3.25 mark from 2024.

In 2022, his 2.48 mark over 30 starts earned him a second place finish in National League Cy Young award voting.

Fried is somewhere between ultra durable and concerningly fragile, as he has missed some action in every year since 2019, but only in 2023 did it cost him significant time.

As part of ESPN's exercise, a staff writer made a prediction for the rest of the player's season, and Jorge Castillo forecasts more of the same for the 31-year-old lefty.

"Fried misses a few starts, which isn't the worst thing when the goal is to pitch deep into October, and registers a 3.10 ERA over 170 innings in an All-Star season," Castillo wrote.

It will be an uphill battle without Cole in October, assuming New York makes it there, but Fried has a track record of rising to the occasion in the biggest moments.

When the Braves won the World Series in 2021, it was Fried slamming the door shut against the Houston Astros in Game 6, turning in a phenomenal start to deliver Atlanta its first championship since 1995.

Recommended Articles