Yankees' big lefty SP trade pickup has ridiculous 50% whiff rate this spring

The New York Yankees are, for the most part, running it back for the 2026 MLB season. It's not a bad thing, as the 2025 Yankees, if it weren't for some injuries, would've been the top team in the American League.

But it's not like the Yankees didn't make any outside additions. They swung a big trade with the Miami Marlins for a starter. While Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera were bigger targets, the pitcher the Yankees got, Ryan Weathers, is off to a hot start this spring.

As David Adler of MLB.com notes, Weathers has, through his first start, been incredibly impressive this spring. Batters are swinging and missing over 50% of the time against his pitches so far this spring. It's a great start for the Yankees' big addition this winter.

Yankees' Ryan Weathers off to ridiculous 50% whiff rate start to spring

"The 26-year-old got whiffs on over half the swings against him overall," Adler writes, "and individually on four different pitch types, his four-seam fastball (which averaged 98.5 mph, by the way), slider, changeup, and sweeper."

Weathers is generating a 52% whiff rate induced so far this spring, and on his five-pitch mix, there's only one pitch that doesn't have a 50% or better whiff rate.

That pitch is his filthy 96.7 mph sinker that has "19 inches of arm-side run," according to Adler. As he writes, "that pitch is going to be nasty, too."

Adler compared Weathers, the 6-foot-1 lefty, to Tarik Skubal, Jesus Luzardo, and Garrett Crochet. While it's a bold comparison, if he can carry these whiff rates to the MLB season, there's no doubt he'd be one of the best pitchers in baseball.

More: Carlos Lagrange is impressing at Yankees spring training with 100 mph pitches

Weathers made one start so far this spring. In that start, Weathers had five strikeouts, and allowed one hit, no walks, and no runs (either earned or unearned) across 3.2 innings of work.

Last season for the Marlins, Weather had a 3.99 ERA in eight starts. Across 70 games (55 starts) in his big league career, he has a 4.93 ERA.

While it might not be the best production for Weathers in the Majors so far, the 26-year-old lefty could be in store for a major breakout if his whiff rate can carry over to the MLB season.

He's going to get a chance to begin the year, as he's one of the main starters for the Yankees behind Max Fried, as he's the only other lefty ready to go at the start of the season, with Carlos Rodon out due to an injury.

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