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 got on the bump and looked phenomenal in his first spring showing, displaying sharp stuff.
Initial Pitching Performance Sparks Enthusiasm for Yankees’ Latest Starter
The Yankees decided to add depth to their starting rotation this off-season. New York’s advanced scouting impressed management with their homework, resulting in the influence to pay the left-handed pitcher.
Fried was signed to an eight-year contract, set to end in 2032.
Fried will be a huge part of the club’s starting rotation and will add some substance, being left-handed. His overall abilities will be huge in the Bronx.
How Did Max Fried Look On His First Day Off the Mound?
The Yankees sent their hitters up to the dish one by one to get a feel for live pitching. This was everyone’s first look at Fried from a Yankees standpoint. Let’s start with mound presence. We are all aware of Fried’s physicality.
The left-handed starter towered off the athletic and vertically structured mound, towering at 6’4” from the set. His delivery and flow through his release and finish were consistent and fluent.
Each pitch he threw was calculated and time-enriched, to perfect the mechanics.
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.
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.
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.
Overall, Fried looked healthy, dialed in, and his arm looked fresh and prepared to go.
What Else Can We Expect From the Left-Hander?
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.
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.
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.
He’ll establish his counts early on, to work with less pressure after the fact. Fried had a 64.8% first-pitch strike rate.
2025 Projections
The two-time all-star earned his new contract, with a true all-star season in 2024. Fried started 29 games last season, going 11-10, just over .500. He had a league-leading two complete games and one shutout.
Fried was a strikeout machine, pitching 174 and 1 / 3 innings, sitting 166 hitters and only walking 57. He finished with a 3.25 ERA.
2025’s projections are very similar to 2024. He’s expected to see between 145 and 165 innings of work with a 3.50 ERA, 130-plus strikeouts, and at least 10 wins and six losses. Fried will have the luck of pitching in the notorious American League East.
Main Photo Credits: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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