Give A Call To Adam Warren

(Might need to work on that high five form a bit.  Courtesy of the AP)

It's only 7 appearances, and there's some slight suggestion of BABIP and SSS luck working in his favor, but it would be wrong to not point out the great job Adam Warren has done so far this season.  After having a relatively stagnant year in 2012 in his second Triple-A season, Warren has blossomed and carved out a nice role for himself in the Major League bullpen this season.  His early career path has been very similar to the one David Phelps used to break into the show last year.

Like Phelps, Warren has shown an ability to be flexible in his relief roles and effective in multiple types of scenarios.  He's been good in short appearances and he's been very good in long appearances, like his first of the year coming in for Hiroki or his 4-inning save last night.  Like Phelps, his stuff has also played up a bit coming out of the 'pen, particularly his fastball velocity.  That has bumped his K rate up (7.23 K/9, 20.3% overall), and Warren's willingness to use all his pitches gives him options with 2 strikes.  He's basically the #1 long man with Phelps in the rotation right now, and he's pitched well enough to keep his spot on the roster when a pitcher gets sent down for C-Grand later today.

He's not the young, top-of-the-rotation arm that the Yankees need and that they've been widely criticized for failing to develop over the last 10-15 years, but Warren has proven to be another useful homegrown pitcher capable of filling multiple roles on the pitching staff as needed.  Like Phelps, if he can continue to perform well, he could put himself in the mix for a rotation spot next year.