Overlooked Yankees relief prospect with ridiculous changeup won't be secret for long

There must be something in the water up in Wappingers Falls. At the end of last month, we took a look at relief prospect Ben Grable, who was racking up the Ks for High-A Hudson Valley. Grable has since been promoted to Double-A Somerset, where he's picked up right where he left off.

But fret not, the New York Yankees have another developing strikeout artist dominating for the Renegades, and this name is an even deeper cut.

The name Chris Veach might not mean anything to anyone but the most devoted prospect heads, but if he keeps up what he's been doing, it won't be long before he's on a lot of radars. A big reason for that is his signature changeup that has been during heads and confounding High-A hitters.

Talk about pulling the string. The 24-year-old has struck out a whopping 19 hitters over 11 2/3 innings. Perhaps even more impressive, he's surrendered just four hits and two walks and has yet to give up a run.

Yankees may have another fast-rising relief prospect in Chris Veach and his ludicrous changeup

This is a continuation of dominance for Veach, who spent last season down at Single-A Tampa. There he threw a total of 57 innings over 43 appearances, striking out 75 batters and posting a 2.53 ERA in the process.

The right-hander has been doing this in relative obscurity in large part thanks to going undrafted out of the University of South Carolina in 2024. Heading into the draft, Baseball America (subscription required) pegged him as the 393rd-ranked player in the class, noting that opinions could vary wildly due to his changeup being his primary pitch, with a 60% utilization in his final season with the Gamecocks.

That changeup is what has made him so successful thus far. He throws it in the mid-70s, with it showing a 15-plus miles per hour difference from his low-90s fastball. He's able to keep a consistent arm angle and release point often enough that hitters still struggle to differentiate it from his fastball despite the drastic difference in velocity. Though what truly makes the pitch special is its fade and drop as it falls off the table.

You won't find Veach in any top-30 prospects lists, but FanGraphs did give him a shoutout as another prospect of note, along with a handful of other righty relievers.

Veach is another example of the vast collection of intriguing relief arms New York has collected in its pipeline. The next man up might be the flame-throwing Yovanny Cruz, and Grable is certainly ahead of Veach in the pecking order as well, but the vast array of options is impressive.

Some of these guys might get a shot to make an impact this year. Others will have to wait until 2027. Most probably won't amount to anything. However, by collecting low-investment options like late-round draft picks, undrafted free agents, and minor league free agent signings, the Yankees are building a reliever factory that can either help the big club or serve as complementary pieces in trade packages.

That has immense value, and it's something worth watching going forward. As for Veach, one has to imagine that if he continues laying waste to High-A hitters with his devastating changeup, he'll be joining Grable in the Somerset bullpen soon.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow