Will Warren Is Earning His Way up the Yankees’ Trust Tree

Will Warren is showing flashes of what he can bring the New York Yankees in the postseason.

New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren is starting to turn things around, which will bode well for his postseason prospects. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The last time Will Warren found himself on a postseason mound, things unraveled fast. In a pivotal game two of the American League Division Series, Warren faced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with the bases juiced, and on a 2-1 count with one out, Guerrero sent his 96 MPH fastball into the seats. The Yankees were eventually eliminated in four games, but that may have been the moment the series actually ended.

It has been close to a year since Warren's greatest failure in the big leagues, and now, with the postseason approaching, he's hoping to change his fortunes. Lately, he has shown flashes of excellence that were missing in the middle portion of the season, and in Warren's last 15.1 IP — with one appearance, including a relief outing — he has 15 strikeouts and just four walks. He also allowed just two earned runs.

More important than the earned runs are the strikeouts. If that's the type of swing-and-miss stuff that he brings into the postseason, he will be a viable weapon out of the bullpen. Unless something goes horribly wrong, Warren won't start, but he can join a relief corps that has been in desperate need of a facelift since the deadline.

In Wednesday night's win over the Colorado Rockies, Warren racked up eight strikeouts, while only surrending four hits, two walks, and one earned run in six innings. He generated 12 swinging strikes, which was only third time since July 1 that he produced double-digits in that category.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren has done a great job limiting traffic on the basepaths recently, allowing only four walks in his last 15.1 innings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Warren, one reason for his success is that he feels he trusts his pitches a little more than he has.

"I think I trust everything that I have throughout the season, even when it wasn't going well there for a minute," Warren said (h/t SNY Yankees on Twitter). "When you can throw it where you want to, you can trust it a little more. I think it just makes the outing a little easier."

Yankees hoping their decision to hold on to Warren past deadline pays off

At the trade deadline last month, Warren was one of the names featured in a ton of rumors. There was a thought that he could be a piece in a potential Mason Miller trade, and even a belief that he could be part of a package for Adrian Morejon. Obviously, the Yankees weren't going to trade Warren for a rental, but the fact remains that he was a commodity on the market.

The playoffs can be an opportunity for Warren to show that one of the best things the Yankees did was hold on to them. Especially if he's getting batters to whiff the way he has in his last few outings.

At this point, Aaron Boone needs help anywhere he can get it in those later innings, and Warren may be the answer.

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