Yankees Starter Could Be Due for Breakout Season

The 26-year-old starter for the New York Yankees made a subtle change in his delivery that has paid off thus far in the spring.

Feb 12, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (98) works out during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

This spring, the New York Yankees have shown off some of their shiny new toys in Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez and Ryan Weathers, whom they acquired from the Miami Marlins. This trio of hard-throwing 20-something-year-olds comes equipped with high heat, and for a rotation in flux to start the season, there's a lot to dream on between the three.

Of course, just because the Yankees have some new arms to play with doesn't mean anyone should forget what they already have. While the big three have gotten all the love, Will Warren has been making a name for himself this spring as well.

Coming into the spring, Warren decided to make a small change in his delivery. Instead of pitching from the first base side of the rubber, he decided to pitch from the third base side, as he did in college.

It's still too early to see whether this will take him to the next step in his development, but so far this spring, he has a 1.65 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched. What's most interesting is that Warren, who had a propensity to give up the long ball, only allowed one homer for these exhibition outings. Last year at this time and in 23 innings, he gave up five.

Warren vs. Justin Verlander

While this one doesn’t count for the back of the baseball card, it was cool to see the 26-year-old go toe-to-toe with Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander. A glance into the game's Baseball Savant breakdown shows Warren and JV at the top with near-identical swings-and-misses in that game between the Tigers and Yankees.

Mar 12, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Warren generated 11 whiffs. Verlander had just one more with 12.

On the day as a whole, Warren threw six innings. He struck out two and allowed two hits. One of those hits was a homer, but he didn't allow any walks. The issue for the outing, though, was the hard-hit balls.

Eight balls were put in play against him that had an exit velocity of 95 MPH. The silver lining to this was that none were barreled.

Will Warren turned in an incredibly efficient outing, cruising through six innings on just over 60 pitches!

The command looks reeled in, the stuff is there, and it is shaping up to be an exciting sophomore season for him. pic.twitter.com/4Ck1bbBeoK

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) March 12, 2026

Warren on Warren

Overall, Warren was happy with the results. He said as much after his start.

"It was pretty good," Warren said, according to NJ.com's Randy Miller. "I got ahead early, so we were efficient. I stayed out there for six innings, and obviously, the real mistake was to Dingler. I was trying to get backdoor (breaking ball) for a take, I missed middle. He gets a hit, and then McKinstry put a good swing on a sweeper."

A Better 2026

The real test will come this season. A 2.1 WAR in 162.1 innings pitched, according to Fangraphs, is solid for a 25-year-old backend starter, but it’s hard to ignore some of the rough outings in 2025. Warren had 9 starts in which he allowed more than 4 runs and failed to go over five innings.

His final moment of 2025 was giving up a grand slam to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which put the game on ice in game two of the American League Division Series. It was a dour finish to a Jekyll and Hyde season, which had highs but was marred by its lows.

This spring, the subtle change Warren made seems to have limited the damage to the homers. That obviously needs to translate into regular season success, though. Warren's success this March may be a sneak peek into what 2026 can look like for him. At least, this is what the Yankees are hoping for. With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon needing a little more time before they can return to the rotation, Warren has a real shot to redeem some of the lows from the start of his career.

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