Lagrange hits 102.6 mph, strikes out eight in RailRiders win

Carlos Lagrange did more than light up the gun. The Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, ranked No. 79 overall by MLB Pipeline, worked five strong innings with eight strikeouts in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s 6-5, 11-inning win at PNC Field in Moosic, Pennsylvania, and MLB reported that he reached 102 mph or better three times, peaking at 102.6 mph.

That kind of outing matters because it is starting to look like a pattern, not a one-night show. Lagrange opened the season at High-A Hudson Valley, moved to Double-A Somerset, and is now handling Triple-A hitters with the same power arsenal that made him one of the Yankees’ most closely watched arms in spring training. He had already touched 101.3 mph on Opening Weekend, then fanned eight in 3 1/3 innings on April 11. The latest start pushed the velocity even higher while keeping the strikeouts coming over a full five-inning workload.

The biggest development question around Lagrange is no longer whether the stuff plays. It does. The real issue is whether he can keep it pointed in the right direction long enough to hold up as a starter. The Yankees have said they want him stretched out, not rushed into a bullpen role, and that makes this level especially important. A five-inning outing at Triple-A, paired with eight strikeouts and repeated 102 mph readings, is the kind of line that suggests his arsenal is surviving deeper into games, not just flashing for one or two electric frames. His fastball, slider, cutter and changeup give him options; the challenge is turning pure power into repeatable command.

The pedigree is there, too. Lagrange won the 2026 James P. Dawson Award as the Yankees’ most outstanding rookie in spring training, and the praise around him was loud. Austin Wells said, “I don’t have any doubts he could help us right now.” Max Fried said he expects Lagrange will “definitely impact this team.” Gerrit Cole was even more direct, saying he had never seen anything like Lagrange’s velocity.

The numbers from last season explain why the Yankees are willing to be patient. In 2025, Lagrange went 11-8 with a 3.53 ERA across 24 minor league outings, 23 of them starts, and struck out 168 batters in 120 innings between Hudson Valley and Somerset. The arm is loud. The question now is whether the strike-throwing and five-inning efficiency can keep pace. If they do, the clock on a real Yankees option starts moving fast.