The Yankees Player Who Helped Themselves Most in Spring Training

While Spring Training results don’t always reflect how a player will perform this season, it was important for this New York Yankees starter to have a good month.

Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren (98) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Will Warren didn't have an easy start to his career with the New York Yankees. In 2024, he allowed 26 earned runs in 22.2 innings pitched. In Warren's debut, he gave up four runs in 5.1 innings of work against a tough Philadelphia Phillies lineup. He showed flashes of promise that game, but then he coughed up eight runs against a terrible Angels squad.

2025 went better for Warren. He proved to be a quintessential back-end starter, pitching to a 4.44 ERA in 162 innings. He'd have flashes of greatness, where he'd throw seven innings of one-run ball, but then get knocked around by the Dodgers for seven earned runs and get yanked in the second. The final image of his season was having Vladimir Guerrero hit a huge grand slam off of him in the ALDS, which effectively swung the series fully in Toronto's direction.

Jul 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (98) wipes his forehead during the first inning in their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Warren's issue was the big inning. For every game where he'd pitch into the sixth or seventh, keeping the Yankees in the game as he did with the Twins in August, there are moments where he'd implode soon after. From a great outing in Minnesota, he'd have a dreadful night a few games later, giving up five runs in four innings against Boston. If Warren is going to improve, he needs to cut those ugly games out of his game log.

The Necessary Changes

While Spring Training results are not paramount, March was still going to be an important month for the 26-year-old starter who had climbed the ranks of the Yankees organization since being drafted in 2021. Coming into camp, he made one change, and, while results at this time of the year can be a mirage - the Tyler Wades and Kyle Higashiokas of the world can attest to that - it still felt like a positive that Warren had a prosperous spring statistically.

The change in question was simple. Coming up through the minors, Warren pitched from the first base side of the rubber. This month, he moved to the third base side. It was the side of the mound that he pitched in college.

Will Warren had a very nice spring, seeing results after moving to the third-base side of the rubber.

Today: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Spring ERA: 1.42 in 25 1/3 IP, 3 BB, 22 K

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 22, 2026

This spring, Warren, who had one of the bigger workloads of any member of the Yankees, tossed 25.1 innings in six starts. He allowed just four earned runs and three walks. It may have been the change in his position that brought out these results.

The only thing that was down was the strikeout stuff. Warren always had more strikeouts than innings pitched, even at his worst, and this spring, he struck out 22. It wasn't a monumental drop off the way it has been for Luis Gil, and he could have also gone out of his way to pitch to contact more. Still, it's interesting to see what happens this year, and if he sees a slight decline in one of his more important tools.

Warren’s 2026

One person who is high on Warren is the Athletic's Eno Sarris. For his annual Fantasy Baseball pitching report, he put Warren among the 100 starting pitchers to look out for this year, ranking him 64th. One of those reasons is the change he made this spring.

"He's shifted where he stands on the mound and is having a great spring by results," Sarris wrote. "If he really has figured out how to retire lefties, that would be a huge leap forward for a guy who's already projected to be a decent back-end starter in most leagues."

There have been slight improvements in Warren's performance year to year. It's hard to be worse than the version he showed in 2024, but considering how bad he was when he broke into the league, giving dependable innings with an ERA around four is a tremendous step up. Hopefully, he makes another leap in his development.

Warren may never have had the dominant stuff that Luis Gil has shown in his young career, but he's always been dependable. Every fifth day, Warren is there to take the mound. If that keeps being the case, there's only room to improve. At least, that's what the Yankees are hoping for.

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