Andy Pettitte's scouting report on the Yankees' starting rotation
Former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte assists in the development of of the current pitching staff during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on, Feb. 17. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding Max Fried, who left Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Orioles after three innings with elbow soreness and was scheduled to undergo testing Thursday, the Yankees’ rotation has been everything the organization hoped it would be when spring training ended in late March.
The Yankees thought they had the makings of one of the best and deepest starting units in the game, and to this point, it has panned out that way.
Newsday recently sat down with former Core Four member Andy Pettitte — a five-time World Series champion who is MLB’s all-time leader in postseason victories and a special adviser to general manager Brian Cashman — to get his scouting report on the pitchers comprising the rotation.
Cam Schlittler
“I had not had a chance to see him in the minor leagues pitch, but I had heard from our guys, ‘This guy’s fastball is beating everyone.’ . . . He throws more fastballs than anybody in the game as far as starting pitchers. That tells you how special his stuff is in a league where guys can really hit the fastball. He’s a very confident kid. I think he’s got a great makeup for New York. He’s been a joy. He’s been a kid I’ve really enjoyed talking to and [he talks] with me. I feel like I’m getting older and you feel like these guys may not want to talk at all, but it’s been really fun. He’s like one of my kids . . . Cam’s using his fastball but, man, he’s got a great arsenal. He’s got a great curveball, he’s got weapons. Some days, if he doesn’t have that fastball, which haven’t been many right now, he’s going to have the ability to make the adjustments and do different things.”
Max Fried
“He wanted to come here. He knew what he was getting into. He wanted the challenge, knowing that every year this organization puts us in a position to win a championship, and that’s what he wants to do. When you get players that are focused on that, it ends up being a huge deal, I feel like. We know he’s got great stuff, right? He can do so many different things out on the mound. It’s very rare to find someone that has the command and the quality of pitches that he has. His pitches aren’t just average; most of them are above-average big-league pitches . . . The velocity stands out to me. I didn’t realize he threw so hard. And the ability to develop pitches. Just constantly playing with different grips. That’s not that easy to do. He’s just trying to get better and better and better every time he takes the mound.”
Will Warren
“Will’s come a long way. I feel like our staff’s done an amazing job with these guys. Will, obviously, his fastball’s unbelievable. He’s got that slot where he’s very deceptive. His fastball’s just got a lot of life to it and he really can pitch off his fastball. And then his ability to spin it. He’s really developed a changeup that’s been a real weapon for him. And he’s just got a great feel for his stuff. It’s not easy to come [up] and spin balls and to be able to command it. And I feel like just a great demeanor, great makeup. He’s a young pitcher and he’s settling in and I think he has a huge, huge upside to him. Proud to see what he’s been able to do, the way he’s been able to develop. I believe that he’s not going to do anything but get better and better. He’s starting to understand and know how to work his fastball to both sides of the plate, which is extremely hard to do. He’s having a lot of success with that front-door two-seamer to lefthanded batters, and that’s something I was never able to do as far as front-door righthanded hitters. Just really impressive.”
Ryan Weathers
“I feel like our staff has done such a great job of getting him to a good spot with all of his stuff. Just speaking with him [recently], I know his confidence is getting greater and greater. He’s still a young man, too. He’s still understanding what he needs to do to be successful. He throws extremely hard, stuff is really good. He’s really developed a back-door sweeper, he’s had great success with that. He also has a slider that is really good, too, that I don’t feel like he’s used that much yet either, which I think is going to get better and better. And his changeup, man, I still think the changeup is the greatest pitch in the game, and he’s got a great changeup. He’s got four above-average pitches, and I think we’re going to see nothing but good stuff from him moving forward.”
Carlos Rodon
“Carlos is my man. For me, he’s been one of the most remarkable pitchers that I’ve kind of seen. When I came here [as an adviser] in ’23, Carlos was throwing a fastball and a slider. That was it. I’m so proud, first of all for walking through that ’23 season like he did and coming out the other side of it, because that’s hard to do. He’s as gritty as they come. He’s New York-weathered, man. And that bodes well for him . . . He didn’t have a changeup, but he’s developed an unbelievable changeup that’s a top-notch out pitch for him. He’s always had a great slider but I feel like he’s probably moving his slider around the zone a lot more than he used to do. His fastball command is impeccable. He throws a lot of strikes with his four-seam, he commands it great, and he’s developed a good two-seamer, too, and I know he’s working on a curveball right now also that he’s been playing with the last couple of years. I think as he continues to get a little bit older, that’ll be something that’ll be able to come into play for him. Extremely proud of Carlos and how far he’s come along.”
Gerrit Cole (coming back soon from Tommy John surgery)
“Gerrit’s next-level. He’s elite, elite what he does, stuff-wise, mentality-wise. He’s real similar to Max as far just like he can do it all. The command of all the pitches, the perfection he expects out of himself is remarkable. Looking forward to seeing him getting back up here and getting in the mix. Just one of the greats for sure over the last decade. And, again, wants to be here, wants this organization . . . wants to be a part of championships here. And you’ve got to have faith. I feel we’re going to pull that off here soon. These guys are all getting in a good place where everybody’s ready to get this thing done.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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