Will Warren showcases his Yankees growth in nearly flawless spring outing

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Trea Turner went down swinging on a four-seam fastball.

J.T. Realmuto followed, returning to the bench after taking a 96 mph pitch looking.

Then came Alec Bohm, ending the first inning after whiffing on heat.

After striking out a two-time batting champion, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and former All-Star, Will Warren walked off the mound, having given a glimpse of his ceiling, and a showcase of his growth, entering his second full season in the majors.

“If I see, like in that first inning, I thought that they were off the heater, I’m just gonna keep [throwing the] heater until they prove that they can hit it,” Warren said after the 5-3 win over the Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. “Last year, I may have been trying to overdo stuff or trying to make this super nasty pitch. And it’s like, you don’t really need to do that. Your stuff’s good enough as it is. Just execute and stay in control, stay smooth and be aggressive.

“A lot of times in spring training, it’s hard to get that amped-up feeling going, but when we roll out there in the first inning and it’s Turner, Realmuto and Bohm, that’s going to give you a little juice.”

Warren, 26, was nearly flawless in his second spring training outing, throwing 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings, while allowing one hit and no walks.

The right-hander — who allowed one run in 2 ²/₃ innings with four strikeouts in his previous start — threw 50 pitches (33 strikes) and struck out four, facing off against Phillies starter Andrew Painter, one of Philadelphia’s top prospects.

“I thought he was excellent,” manager Aaron Boone said of Warren. “Four-seam was crispy. I thought his command was really good. I thought he was really sharp. I thought Painter was kind of crispy early, got my attention, and then Will answered.

“I think he’s really talented. I think he’s got all the weapons … He’s confident, so I know there’s more and I know he expects that. I don’t know what the ceiling is.”

Warren’s new shift to the third base side of the rubber may reveal it.

“I think the attack angle is really weird to righties,” said Warren, who went 9-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 33 starts last season. “I think you saw that today. I get really late swings over there. The lefties, I think the backdoor sweeper is going to be a huge pitch for me. It’s been a big pitch in the past, but moving over there, it looks like it’s never going to come back. The lines are getting sharper as we go throughout the spring, so I really like the adjustment we made.

“I think everything’s in a good spot … I think everything’s going in the right direction.”