Yankees: 3 unexpected standouts from NYY's first spring games

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The New York Yankees have mostly started the regulars thus far in their solid spring training, and haven’t exactly launched many hidden gems to the stratosphere (shoutout to Hard Hittin’ Chris Gittens, though).

Despite a few downs during the early contests, even the most callous and unimpressed Yankees fans have to be satisfied with the efforts of their likely starters.

Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez have generally socked gappers with high velocity or found the right holes with their bloops. Jameson Taillon and Corey Kluber threw three dominant innings between them, without a blemish.

And Chad Green’s looked great in simulated games…we assume? We don’t know.

So, who from the scrap heap has impressed us the most? Which NRIs might actually have a chance at making the roster?

Who’s prepared to hold down the middle of the bullpen unexpectedly?

Which reliever’s dared to try out a new pitch, and has actually had success with it thus far (we see you, Nick Nelson)?

Look no further than this trio — all featuring varying degrees of pedigree — who’ve stood out early in camp.

And apologies to Albert Abreu, who pitched his way off this list Thursday afternoon in Clearwater, but did pick up an extra minor league option and has hit 100 this spring out of nowhere. An impactful spring for sure, but not a particularly effective one on the mound.

These three unexpected Yankees have impressed us at spring training.

Feb 26, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Jay Bruce (30) smiles during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Jay Bruce

Hey, is there any chance Jay Bruce can make the team alongside Derek Dietrich? Asking for a guy who already knows that won’t happen.

In two spring starts, Bruce is a hefty 3-for-4 with a double. Just as importantly, he opened his first game of the slate in left field, backing into the wall for an impressive (though awkward) catch…then started his second contest under the lights at first base.

Yeah, that’s a decent indicator that the team isn’t ruling out bringing Bruce north.

Will the Yankees put Jay Bruce on the Opening Day roster?

After all, the Yankees could use someone they believe in to man first base on days when Luke Voit needs a little time off to tend to his foot stuff. And though Mike Tauchman outwardly professed that he has some collegiate experience at the position, he also noted that the Yanks haven’t spoken to him about absorbing that duty yet.

Tauchman’s fellow Mike, Ford, also backslid significantly in 2020, seemingly losing the bat-to-ball skills that made him a 2019 standout overnight.

It seems possible, at least, that the team prefers Bruce to Tauchman for his increased power and lessened redundancy, but the 33-year-old is going to have to really hit to end up on the 26-man come April. So far, so good in that department.

Mar 3, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Adam Warren (48) throws a pitch in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during a spring training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Adam Warren

The Yankees couldn’t have picked a more polar opposite persona to inhabit Tommy Kahnle’s No. 48 than Adam Warren.

But so far, so good for the transition overall.

Potentially readying to enter his third different tenure with the Yanks, Warren’s career totals are a riddle wrapped in an enigma, and the 33-year-old must be uniquely frustrating for every other MLB team.

After all, all Warren does is pitch well for the Yankees. And all he does is struggle when he goes elsewhere.

Adam Warren is destined to be a Yankees middle reliever

A Bronx Bomber from 2012-2015, Warren put up drab-yet-special ERAs of 3.39, 2.97, and 3.29 in a trio of full seasons (19 starts, mostly in his final season). He was then dealt to the Cubs in the Starlin Castro trade and put up a 5.91 mark in the first half…before heading back to the Bronx in the Aroldis Chapman deadline mega-deal, only to throw up a 3.26 mark down the stretch.

Brian Cashman unexpectedly dealt him to Seattle in 2018 for international bonus money, and he finished out the season decently, but proceeded to post a 5.34 ERA the next year in San Diego before succumbing to Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees have waited out his lengthy rehab, and seemingly out of nowhere, Warren has brought his typical sturdiness to the early spring bullpen competition, throwing up two casual innings without allowing an earned run (with a pair of whiffs).

Would it shock anyone if Warren somehow made the Opening Day roster again? Why did we not consider this earlier?

Feb 25, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Lucas Luetge (63) throws a pitch during a simulated game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Lucas Luetge

Raise your left hand if you saw Lucas Luetge emerging as the early-spring cult hero! Didn’t think so.

Following the addition of Justin Wilson (who we…haven’t seen yet…so he might not exist), there’s no longer a dire need for a middle-innings lefty in the Bronx.

But Luetge, a childhood Yankees and Cowboys fan (yeah, we know), has unleashed some devastating filth thus far, and we can’t help but keep our eyes open.

He also looks…almost exactly like a mashup between James Paxton and JA Happ on the mound, as Talkin’ Yanks so dutifully pointed out.

Luetge hasn’t seen big-league action since 2015 with the Seattle Mariners, and shuffled around at the Alternate Site for the A’s last year, though he never got the call while opening eyes. Thus far this spring, he hasn’t just handled his business; he’s looked electric, and has leapt off the page in both his outings (which came in otherwise dreary games).

In the spring opener, Luetge used his power curve to whiff two. Against the Phillies in Clearwater Thursday, he did what no one else could, and blew away three in a shutout inning, predominantly leaning on his hammer.

We’re not going to make declarative prognostications based on a pair of spring outings, but Luetge certainly looks worth monitoring. And unlike, say, Bruce and Derek Dietrich, he can be easily held at Triple-A instead of being exposed to the rest of MLB.

Somehow, every player mentioned on this list is 33 years old, which doesn’t say a lot for the way the kids have accounted for themselves so far; in fairness, they haven’t gotten much run, if any.

But while we wait for Luis Medina and Austin Wells to perform daily, this trio has certainly captured our attention, Luetge most of all.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees in action against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on September 11, 2020 in New York City. New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 10-1. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

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Yankees: 3 unexpected standouts from NYY’s first spring games