Yankees' super rotation for Double-A playoffs could be a preview of something amazing

The New York Yankees felt so confident in their pitching development program that they picked 2022 as the summer to deplete a good deal of their talent to secure a short-term gain. Arms like Hayden Wesneski, Luis Medina, and Ken Waldichuk were all sacrificed for the greater good — except the other side of the pillow wasn't nearly as cool as they'd anticipated. Not only did the big-league Yankees falter that October, but they did so because the reinforcements they obtained, from Frankie Montas to Scott Effross to Andrew Benintendi, either were no longer there or no longer effective.

The Yankees slid down the farm system rankings, concurrent with their big-league flop. By the time the 2024 draft rolled around, they were so desperate to craft a next generation of pitching wins that they spent the entire top half of the event seeking hurlers with excellent stuff (and sketchy results helped them secure some mid-round bargains).

It was a bold strategy. It was a volume play that would've failed without either one big name emerging, or several existing names in the system taking massive leaps that imbued the entire process with an air of "worthy gamble" rather than "desperation heave". Depending on the viewpoint of the critic, it was either a sturdy method of building assets from an unenviable draft position or a flashy distraction from the system's inability to develop offensive players.

Just over one year after the initial maneuver, the Yankees have gotten everything they could've wanted and more. The team's offensive development plan doesn't seem so silly anymore, after the emergence of Ben Rice and the historic summer of Spencer Jones (though Jasson Dominguez's story has yet to be written and Anthony Volpe's has hit an ugly bramble of Falling Action Events). On the pitching side, Cam Schlittler has added 10 miles per hour to his fastball and impacted the big-league team's playoff projections. Will Warren has held down a rotation role. Luis Gil won Rookie of the Year, then returned from injury with a flourish this summer. The Yankees traded names like Gage Ziehl and Griffin Herring from 2024's draft class without impacting the top of their prospect pyramid.

And, below the surface, the Yankees are still able to roll out a mega-rotation for the Double-A playoffs featuring three pitchers who all seem like MLB contributors sooner rather than later. Their top 2024 pick, Ben Hess, will start things off. Carlos Lagrange, a 103-throwing jewel from the farm, goes next. If the series gets to Game 3, it's Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz's turn, who was swiped from the Boston Red Sox in the wait-is-this-a-fleece-or-does-everyone-win Carlos Narvaez trade.

Yankees' pitching development wins take center stage in ridiculous 2025 Eastern League Playoffs rotation

Three pitchers who weren't front-and-center when the Yankees, depleted by fate and their own whimsy, tried their draft gambit on for size. One selection from atop that '24 class. One raw international gem who still has command flaws, but looks lightyears different from how he appeared last summer. And one cherry on top, plucked from a rival's system and rivaling any arm in the current farm.

Given that wins, losses, and championships don't mean all that much at the minor-league level, fans should root for a 1-1 split so that all three members of the Hydra can appear in this series. Rodriguez-Cruz already locked horns with Binghamton twice in one week this summer and defeated Mets top prospect Jonah Tong both times.

The team in Flushing appears to have a trio of arms who'll be impactful long-term pieces. The Red Sox, who recently promoted Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, do too. The Yankees don't plan to be left behind, though, despite their MLB trio of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón advancing in age. Things are night and day from how they looked last July in many phases, and this Double-A firestorm exemplifies that shift better than anything.