PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Will Warren may say a “day at a time” variation until he turns red, or at least until the Yankees decide if the fifth starter will start the season.
There is a good reason for this.
Last March, Warren was in the same position he was in now. He was fighting for the final spot in the Yankees' rotation due to Gerrit Cole's injury.
Apart from that, he was riding a roller coaster of emotions at each start he made, which may have ultimately backfired.
He summed up a strong spring, recalling that he was “very upset” when he got the news before the opening day on Saturday after losing to Lewis Gill.
“I feel like I reduced that last year, and that's probably why I didn't have as much success as I liked all year round,” said Warren, who started with a triple-A and 10.32 ERA in six games against the Yankees.
A year later, Warren hasn't taken any bait.
Unlike his friends and family, he claims he doesn't wonder if he's getting much closer to breaking camp with his team with every start of a pass.
The 25-year-old right-hander knows well enough that there are far too many factors out of his reach that can determine whether he will win the fifth starter job, but he does almost all of his control to drive the matter.
“Obviously a lot has happened over the last two weeks,” Warren noted that Cole and Lewis Gill, who had surgery on Tommy John, were diagnosed with a high-grade rat strain that would put him aside until at least June.
“You can't ride that roller coaster, and it's going to make you crazy,” he added. “If you can stay neutral every time you take the mound and move your best feet forward, good things will happen.”
The latest example came on Saturday when Warren looked strong again.
He cruised primarily into five innings, with the final line spoiled by the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park and a 7-7 tie.
After building up a pitch count, he allowed up to 64 (including five pitches in the bullpen after he came out) to three runs in four or more innings.
Charles Wentzelberg/New York Post
“I thought Will was fine,” said manager Aaron Boone. “I probably ran out of gas at the end. In the last inning he had, it didn't sink that well and it didn't sink. I loved the way he was mixing his two-seam and four-seam today. I thought it was another good day for him.”
Less than two weeks into camp, the fifth starter battle almost certainly leads to Warren and veteran Carlos Carrasco, who are on a minor league contract.
The biggest factor in building a team against Warren's case is the fact that he leaves a minor league option behind. Meanwhile, Carrasco has not opted out of his trades that can be used if he is not added to the roster by a certain date and has opted out. So, if the Yankees are trying to maximize their initial depth within the organization – especially after being lost in injuries to chase Hampton and J.T. Brubaker, they can do so by sending Warren to Triple A and having Carrasco in the big league rotation to start the season.
“You had to take everything into consideration,” Boone said. “The start of the season is always a little difficult as you don't have access to a 40-person roster right away. [pitchers who are optioned to the minor leagues cannot be recalled for 15 days unless they are replacing an injured player]. That's a bit of a decision around the bullpen. On one level, you take it all into consideration while you're clearly hoping for the best. You had to win. But everything has moving parts. ”
The reality is that Warren will be asked to help the Yankees at some point this season.
Whenever it happens, he plans to be ready to handle it mentally and physically.
“I have control over what happens when I get out there and take the mound,” Warren said. “I can control my way of thinking on and off the field. So, like I've said many times, I'm trying to take it one day at a time.”
