The New York Yankees are largely returning the same roster that they featured in 2025. However, one big boost they are set to get is from starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, who missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Now that Cole is healthy, he is primed to lead a starting rotation that also features studs like Max Fried and Carlos Rodon.
Of course, the Yankees have some young guns who are working their way through the minors. One guy who has turned heads throughout Spring Training is flamethrower Carlos Lagrange, and it turns out there’s a specific aspect of his game that has been so good that even Cole has been mesmerized by what he’s seen.
Gerrit Cole Gushes Over Carlos Lagrange
In his last full season back in 2023, Cole won the first Cy Young Award of his career after he posted a 15-4 record with an American League-best 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts. He made only 17 starts in 2024, though, before being forced to miss the entire 2025 campaign. At 35 years old, Cole will look to author an impressive comeback season, and so far, he’s looked solid throughout Spring Training.
At some point, though, Cole’s career will come to an end, meaning that a new generation of pitchers will have to lead the way for the Yanks. One guy who looks more than capable of stepping up at some point in the near future is Lagrange, who is entering the 2026 season as New York’s No. 2 overall prospect.
Lagrange split his time in 2025 at High-A and Double-A, and his final numbers were quite encouraging (11-8, 3.53 ERA, 168 K, 1.20 WHIP). Throughout Spring Training, Lagrange has gotten some extra run with the Yankees, and Cole has been blown away by the 6’7 right-hander’s ability to consistently hit triple-digits on the radar gun.
“It’s like, silly. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Cole said of Lagrange, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “It’s wild. I’m just blown away by the velocity every time … It’s amazing. It doesn’t look like he’s trying. It looks relatively easy, for the amount of freaking 101s I’ve seen in a row. I’ve hit 101 in my career probably less than 10 times, and I’ve seen him do it every single time. And a lot of times, nobody’s here.”
Could Carlos Lagrange Make His Way to the Majors in 2026?
GettyNew York Yankees’ Jersey Logo
Lagrange is still a bit of a raw prospect, but his ability to consistently throw above 100 MPH is a big reason why the team has such high hopes for him. If he can fine-tune the other areas of his game, he could quickly turn himself into one of the deadliest pitchers once he eventually finds his way to the majors.
There’s a decent chance that Lagrange will begin the year in the minors, but if he excels during his time down there, he could earn a quick promotion to the big leagues. Cole and company are leading the charge for now, but the fact that Lagrange is already catching his attention shows that he could be destined for big things in the future.
Yankees Star Gerrit Cole Makes Bold Claim About Top Prospect