{"id":96064,"date":"2025-02-20T22:27:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T03:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=96064"},"modified":"2025-02-20T22:27:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T03:27:39","slug":"bullpen-session-max-fried-yankees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/02\/20\/bullpen-session-max-fried-yankees\/","title":{"rendered":"Initial Pitching Performance Sparks Enthusiasm for Yankees’ Latest Starter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early this week, the New York Yankees and the social media world got their first look at their newly acquired left-handed starter. Max Fried<\/a> got on the bump<\/a> and looked phenomenal in his first spring<\/a> showing, displaying sharp stuff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Initial Pitching Performance Sparks Enthusiasm for Yankees’ Latest Starter<\/h2>\n

The Yankees decided to add depth to their starting rotation<\/a> this off-season. New York’s advanced scouting impressed management with their homework, resulting in the influence to pay the left-handed pitcher. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fried was signed to an eight-year contract, set to end in 2032.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fried will be a huge part of the club\u2019s starting rotation and will add some substance, being left-handed. His overall abilities will be huge in the Bronx.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Did Max Fried Look On His First Day Off the Mound?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Yankees sent their hitters up to the dish one by one to get a feel for live pitching. This was everyone\u2019s first look at Fried from a Yankees standpoint. Let\u2019s start with mound presence. We are all aware of Fried\u2019s physicality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The left-handed starter towered off the athletic and vertically structured mound, towering at 6\u20194\u201d from the set. His delivery and flow through his release and finish were consistent and fluent. <\/span><\/p>\n

Each pitch he threw was calculated and time-enriched, to perfect the mechanics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fried worked his fastball to exemplify good command and ability to throw it in the zone. The command was good, with an 80-90% effect on intensity. The fastball worked well on the corners and came out of his hand with life and tail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His fastball runs up and into lefties, causing them to pull the trigger quickly or get jammed. This looked to be more vulnerable against right-handed hitters. His curveball is his second most used pitch, which was also on display.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His curveball comes over the top with 12-6 action and works closer to right-handed hitters. Both pitches were witnessed in at-bats against Aaron Judge and Spencer Jones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, Fried looked healthy, dialed in, and his arm looked fresh and prepared to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Else Can We Expect From the Left-Hander?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In addition to the four-seam fastball and the curveball, Fried also has five more options. He has a cutter, sweeper, and slider. We may not see these three pitches a lot, as they both held about four to five percent in usage last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fried has a sinker and a changeup, his third and fourth most used pitch. His 2024 sinker held a 16.5% put-away rate, recording 21 strikeouts and 31 hits against. The sinker has 22.8 inches of vertical drop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His changeup has a 14.4% put-away rate, 18 hits and 14 strikeouts. Fried likes to get ahead in counts and work while being up.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019ll establish his counts early on, to work with less pressure after the fact. Fried had a 64.8% first-pitch strike rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n