4 Yankees players taking the most advantage of 2024 spring training

Nick Burdi

The question of "Which Yankees bullpen rando will emerge to capture hearts at this year's spring training?" has been answered fairly emphatically. Sorry, Yerry De Los Santos, but it's 98-throwing, buggy whip breaker king Nick Burdi, who's overwhelmed hitters so far this preseason.

Burdi, who has a history of horrific injuries, might be here for a good time and not a long time. Regardless, it's somewhat astounding that his repeated, surgically addressed problems haven't sapped his ridiculous stuff, and the arm angle from which he delivers his eye-popping fastball has kept hitters remarkably off balance.

The 31-year-old Burdi, wearing No. 57 like his old Louisville Cardinal teammate Chad Green, has struck out seven batters -- many of them befuddled -- through his first three innings of work, allowing a single earned run in the process.

With Tommy Kahnle slightly behind schedule from the shoulder irritation that ended his 2023 campaign prematurely, Burdi won't even have to beat out an established arm to travel north with the team (well, "north" to Houston) for Opening Day. The Yankees should take full advantage of whatever he's able to give them; he's more than proven his mettle.