Who is Will Warren? Exploring budding career of Yankees pitching prospect expected to debut in 2024

With Spring Training almost upon us, MLB fans are excited to see what their teams have to offer in 2024 and the New York Yankees are looking at pitching prospect Will Warren.

Born in 1999 in Brandon, Mississippi, the 24-year-old is hoping to make his MLB debut in 2024 after being selected as the 243rd pick in Round 8 of the 2021 draft.

Since being drafted by the Yankees out of Southeastern Louisiana University, the right-handed pitcher has spent his time at the Hudson Valley Renegades, Somerset Patriots and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Warren proposed to his now-fiancee, Darby Gillette in December 2023 at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans, which he shared with his Instagram followers. He also enjoys duck hunting and his faith is an important part of his life.

Can Will Warren break into the Yankees rotation in 2024?

Will Warren is rated as the Yankees' second-best pitching prospect and they are said to be interested to see what he can offer in the major leagues. In the Triple-A last season, Warren displayed a good variety of pitches and recorded a 3.61 ERA from 99.2 innings.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake spoke about Warren's potential to debut in 2024 for the team:

“I would think he's definitely in the mix at some point this year. Obviously, if health stays perfect for us, he may be the odd man out, but just with the way 162 games shake out, I'm sure his name will be called at some point.”

Will Warren has developed the psychological aspect of his game

Sam Briend is the New York Yankees' minor-league pitching coordinator and spoke to The Athletic in October about Wil Warren's development. Warren used to rely on his physical abilities in the lower minors but, according to Briend, has adapted and developed the psychological aspect of his game:

“Will was so talented that he got away just stuffing his way through people. And when he got to Triple-A (this season), you’ve got to have a plan, you’ve got to be able to remember what you did last time, and you’ve got to be able to adjust in the middle of at-bats — all those things that really good pitchers in the big leagues talk about.

“Now, ready for the big leagues doesn’t mean development is done. There’s things he’s going to have to learn up there. He’s going to have to cut his teeth a little bit, kind of like Clarke Schmidt did this year where he took some lumps early and then became a pretty solid starter for us.

"Will’s going to need that adjustment time up there, especially with — he gets his strikeouts, but he’s not a pure power pitcher. He’s got a lot of feel. He commands the zone. He plays to a hitter’s weaknesses. There is some learning that will happen.”

While it remains to be seen if Will Warren can play a major role in the Yankees rotation in 2024, the future certainly looks bright for the young pitcher.