The Yankees affiliate’s quiet over a top-tier pitching prospect’s ailment is alarming.
The New York Yankees’ pitching pipeline thought they had found another potential hidden Matt Blake gem in 2023 third-rounder Kyle Carr, the team’s second pick in a draft that would eventually become (as usual) stocked with arm talent. The Yankees signed Carr and George Lombard Jr. near the end of the window on July 17, and the left-handed starter from Palomar Community College (San Diego area, typical Damon Oppenheimer) garnered early praise for his easy velocity. “He just seems like he is playing catch. “There’s a little Tom Glavine look to the way he does it,” Oppenheimer said after the signing was announced. The strike-throwing lefty peaked at 96.
He appears to have skipped a level to begin 2024 as well. While the Yankees are normally conservative with their pitching prospects (except Trystan Vrieling), Carr, MLB Pipeline’s 11th-ranked Yankee, skipped Tampa to begin the season with the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. Unfortunately, the opportunity does not seem to have lasted long. Carr exited his weekend start early in the fifth, accompanied by a trainer on Saturday night. According to Mike Ashmore, he did not appear to prefer anything in the immediate aftermath, but his performance early in the game “seemed a bit down.” After 48 hours, fans are still waiting for an update.
Kyle Carr, a Yankees pitching prospect, exits his start in the Hudson Valley early. The 21-year-old Carr’s first two “starts” of the season were equally brief while his preparation continued, as is customary these days. Through three starts, including Saturday’s four-inning game, he has pitched 9 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and 11 walks while striking out five and allowing four earned runs. Notably, at the time of his selection, Carr had already had Tommy John surgery as a prep pitcher. Updates on Carr’s situation will undoubtedly come, but it’s reasonable for any prospect assessor to witness his lost control in his early outings, combined with Saturday’s premature exit, and conclude that something