Carlos Lagrange has a 100 mph answer to Aaron Judge in a stiff Yankees test

TAMPA — Carlos Lagrange stepped onto the mound at Steinbrenner Field Monday afternoon, looked at the batter’s box and thought, “Damn, it’s Aaron Judge.”

After a few pitches during live batting practice, Judge hit a 90.3 mph fastball into the seats for a home run.

But Lagrange, one of the Yankees’ best pitchers, showed his mettle and quality throughout the rest of the session, coming back to Fan Judge on a 100-mph heater, a showdown that had the crowd buzzing on the first day of full-squad workouts.

“He’s going to be special,” Judge said. “You can look at the radar and see 105 mph – the fastball he threw by me – but I think it’s also just a presence he has on the mound. He’s a guy, we ran a nasty lineup against him today and he didn’t care. He wanted to be out there and he came right behind us. That’s what you need.”

Over three simulated innings, in his first big league camp, Lagrange was given a tough test as he faced Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham.

But the 22-year-old didn’t shy away from the challenge, showing off a fastball that often hits triple digits, matching what manager Aaron Boone called a “special” changeup and sharp sweeper.

“When I see those guys, I feel really good because I’m here [in big league camp] with them,” Lagrange said. “But I try to do the same thing: throw into my zone and run through my pitches.

“I know 102 is really hard, but I work hard in the offseason. If you do really well in the offseason, that’s the result.”

Lagrange, whose biggest hurdles in the minor leagues are throwing enough strikes and staying healthy, finished last year at Double-A Somerset, where he made 15 starts and posted a 3.22 ERA.

He is already well advanced in his build-up for this season and threw 49 pitches on Monday.

While Lagrange is expected to get every opportunity to remain a starter, the Yankees could quickly bring him to the Bronx in a relief role, with his stuff likely playing in the bullpen.

But for now, they remain impressed with the way he handles himself and his belongings in the early days of camp.

“I thought he was excellent,” Boone said. “The first one out, the first day with the full team, the crowd is packed, he’s facing the big boys. What I liked was he filled the zone with it. Obviously the stuff jumps off the page at you, but at a point where he’s going three ups, 49 pitches, he held his stuff and, most importantly, his strike throw.

“Again, it’s February, but really good to see him there.”