Former Yankees top prospect Will Warren has been holding it down in the face of injuries to Yankee starters Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman.
Warren, who made his MLB debut last August, has made nine starts for the Yankees and pitched to a 4.61 ERA, which looks superb compared to his 10.62 ERA in six appearances (five starts) in 2024.
On Friday, Warren did an 'ask me anything' on Reddit's baseball subreddit, and made an unexpected admission on a rising Boston Red Sox star.
A Reddit user asked Warren who was the toughest batter he's had to face in the minors or the majors, and Warren named Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu.
"Toughest one in the minors is now in the big leagues... Wilyer Abreu for sure. In the big leagues, there’s so many great guys that I’ve faced," Warren wrote.
Abreu finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting last season, and has so far hit to an exceptional .924 in 147 at bats in 2025.
Warren is a rising star in his own right. He has been particularly solid in his last two starts, showing flashes of stardom in 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the Athletics on May 9.
He has a 3.18 ERA in the month of May so far, and three straight starts with seven or more strikeouts.
Warren made headlines with his skills at 'tunneling' meaning throwing two pitches that go in opposite directions but from the same arm angle to confuse the hitter.
Warren's main problem was command, especially late in counts, tending to throw his pitches too central in the zone in an attempt to battle back and throw strikes.
If he can continue putting up the kind of numbers that he has in his past couple starts, the Yankees might have their starter of the future.
