5 most surprising first impressions at Yankees spring training 2025

The New York Yankees have, on the surface, begun spring training the same way they always do. Their regulars are taking it slow. They've absorbed a wave of bullpen injuries already. Their top prospects are getting too much publicity. And, of course, the record is roughly even, given that every team in MLB seems to win and lose these fake games at nearly identical paces.

While it's impossible to map Tampa performances accurately onto the regular season, it's still been a joy to watch a few relative unknowns unexpectedly excelling early. While it's most exciting to watch a top prospect deliver on their first public stage, there's something to be said for watching a few evolutionary versions of Willie Calhoun emerge, too. In order to make it through a full 162-game season, a baseball team needs a lot of help. It's perfectly alright to be delusional in March about the possibility that a few surprising candidates could emerge.

Honorable mentions here include DJ LeMahieu, whose absence thus far has shocked us, and Tyler Matzek, who's only made one clean appearance, but has surprisingly become the apple of the coaching staff's eye in the meantime.

Eric Reyzelman has also been a notable standout, but, knowing his track record, this shouldn't be surprising in the least. The man has serious snap to that breaker.

5 players who've surprised us most to start New York Yankees spring training

Alexander Vargas, SS

Shoutout to Alexander Vargas, who isn't on the Yankees' 40-man roster. He isn't among the non-roster invitees, either. He's simply been plucked from minor-league camp with a penchant for raking.

After struggling through 2024, posting a .668 OPS in 73 games at Double-A Somerset, Vargas has ripped half of his total home runs from last season in just five spring training at-bats. His three-run shot on Thursday saved the Yankees from a meaningless loss in thrilling fashion - and it's not his fault that everyone from ESPN to MLB thought he was "Tyler Hardman" in their automated highlight-filled recaps.

Sean Boyle, RHP

Similarly, the 28-year-old Boyle reappeared from a cloud of smoke to make an interesting statement in his first appearance of the spring.

A 25th-round pick out of Dallas Baptist in 2018, Boyle rose through the minors and raised his ceiling in 2021 when he struck out 98 men in 86 innings, maintaining a 1.99 ERA in 27 appearances/10 starts across four levels, all the way to Scranton. He followed that with 155 1/3 serviceable innings in 2022, and seemed on the way towards being a viable bulk guy before 2023 and 2024 were nearly stolen from him entirely.

Hopefully, he's ready to return to form, and a three-inning shutout appearance to start things off certainly opened eyes. His second appearance of camp came in relief of Gerrit Cole on Friday night: 2 2/3 more excellent innings, ending with a swinging strikeout on a nasty breaker with so much movement it hit the batter.

Brent Headrick, LHP

After swiping the unheralded lefty from Minnesota and hoping to see some progress from either he or Matzek as a secondary option to Tim Hill, the Yankees have to be excited by the early returns from both NRIs. Headrick, specifically, has been given three innings to work with and has struck out a remarkable seven, riding a rising fastball to immediate success.

Sometimes, the Yankees need to take a bit of time to remake a pitcher's profile before they're able to reach their ceilings. In Headrick's case, he's made quick work of the Yankees' lessons (or showed up with the tools already in place).

Cam Schlittler, RHP

Schlittler's rocket ship up prospect lists came out of relative obscurity last season. The 2022 seventh-round pick out of baseball powerhouse Northeastern (huh?) eventually became the most trusted arm in High-A Hudson Valley's rotation, and they missed him, post-promotion, during their playoff run.

After striking out 154 men in 120 2/3 innings pitched last season across two levels, Schlittler showed up to Yankees camp weaponizing his curveball in peak form, whiffing two in a pair of innings. Despite being a relative unknown, he's induced a lot of stopping and staring thus far.

Dominic Smith, OF (DH?)

Dominic Smith believes he revived his career and swing in Boston last season, and will now head to the Yankees in an effort to become a folk hero on both sides of the rivalry.

Typically, it's ex-Yanks who seem to succeed in Boston these days (Steve Pearce, Rob Refsnyder) and not the other way around, but given the team's current DH vacancy, they'll certainly keep their eyes trained on Smith's sweet stroke for the rest of camp. It's not just his two home runs so far. It's how he's hit them, and Wednesday's blast against the St. Louis Cardinals was a second-deck moonshot in the Bronx.