Yankees Flamethrower Records Fastest Strikeout Pitch This Spring

When it comes to flamethrowers, look no further than New York Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange.

Lagrange was recently named a Top 3 prospect in the organization as he clocked in at No. 2, just ahead of fellow right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez.

Those two have been battling it out in terms of who has the better stuff, but ultimately it's Lagrange who recorded the fastest strikeout pitch in Spring Training so far.

Keep in mind, this isn't just a Yankees statistic. At 102.0 miles per hour, Lagrange has the fastest strikeout pitch out of any pitcher in the first week plus of Spring Training.

102.0 MPH Strikeout Pitch

How's this for a bounce-back: Carlos Lagrange gets revenge on Aaron Judge, striking him out with a 102 mph heater. #Yankees https://t.co/WhQxKEDVTx pic.twitter.com/DWj13i8Qng
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) February 16, 2026

MLB.com's David Adler revealed this statistic as he included Lagrange in a list of 12 impressive numbers so far. It's been roughly a week and a half since Spring Training began, but it's still incredibly impressive to see a Yankees prospect be the one to record the fastest strikeout pitch.

To make it even more impressive, this strikeout came against Minnesota Twins' Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers is no rookie as the 28-year old catcher has been in the big leagues since 2020.

If that isn't impressive enough, Lagrange also struck out Eric Wagaman with a 101.5 mph pitch in the same game. His fastball velocity is through the roof, and it's no secret why Lagrange is as high on everyone's radar as he is.

100.0 mph Average Fastball Velocity

STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AT LOOK AT THIS DEMON

Carlos Lagrange hit 102.4 mph today with some of the nastiest stuff you'll see all Spring. pic.twitter.com/2v3uG5SJpn
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) February 21, 2026

To go out there and throw 100.0 mph consistently is seemingly unheard of, but that's exactly what Lagrange has done. Granted, he's never thrown more than three innings in a single outing, this is exactly the stuff the Yankees might need out of him in the playoffs.

New York is pretty set on their starting rotation, and it'll be in even better shape when the likes of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon make their long-awaited returns. Knowing those two are on their way back sooner rather than later, that leaves Lagrange's spot in question.

There's a strong case to be made to move the 6'7'' flamethrower to the bullpen in attempt to preserve that velocity. Keep in mind, Lagrange threw a pitch that clocked in at 102.4 mph this spring. That fastball tied San Diego Padres Mason Miller for the fastest pitch thrown in Spring Training. In order to keep Lagrange around as long as possible, the team needs to play to his strengths and make sure opposing teams only see him in small doses to keep that velocity in triple digits.

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