The Yankees made several changes to Herring after drafting him (more sliders, better extension, higher arm slot) and the result looks like a stable backend starter despite a 30-degree fastball velocity.
Herring spent two years as LSU’s most consistent long reliever (working as many as five innings) and was a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024. The Yankees made multiple changes to his pitching and pitch usage, helping him dominate Low-A and earn a promotion after just eight starts. He had a combined ERA of 1.71 at both levels at the time of the trade, although his K% dropped quite a bit after being moved to Hudson Valley. Herring’s fastball only averages about 90 miles per hour, but thrives on guile and driving. Since turning pro, his arm slot has increased, but Herring’s stride over the mound has become bigger and longer, and his height at the time of the trade was only seven feet. His loose, swinging arm action prevents hitters from seeing the baseball until they’re released, and despite missing anything close to average big-league fastball velocity, Herring’s heater has generated above-average misses and chases so far this year.
With the Yankees, Herring also emphasized the use of his slider, which has become his most used pitch. It ranged from 80-80mph in his last outing before the deal, and has tight late movement but lacks tremendous depth. It plays like an above-average pitch in pro ball. Herring didn’t really have a changeup in college, but he added one as a pro and throws it about 14% of the time. His feel for it isn’t bad since he just started it, but it often cuts him or ends up too high. Herring is a smooth operator on the mound and looks like a starter even if he isn’t particularly physical due to his mechanical grace. Impressively, he has maintained his excellent college strike-throw even as his approach has changed, and he profiles as a high-floor backend starter.
#Colorado #Rockies #prospects #Griffin #Herring