How Yankees’ Will Warren went from ‘down in the dumps’ to carving up big league batters

Will Warren remembers being frustrated with himself last season.

The 25-year-old had just pitched in his first five big league games for the Yankees, and they weren’t particularly impressive. With a 9.55 ERA over 21.2 innings in July and August, Warren ended up back in Triple-A by the time September rolled around.

“I was down in the dumps, because I want to be good,” Warren told the Daily News. “I hold myself to a high standard. So I expected to just come in here and figure it out and go dominate. And that’s not how it was.”

Disappointed in himself, Warren sought perspective from Graham Johnson, the RailRiders’ former pitching coach. He delivered, telling Warren to compile a list of who he considered the top starters in the game.

Warren named veteran Yankees like Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman. Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander also made the cut.

Next, Johnson told Warren to look at their stats from their first three seasons in the majors. And that’s when the young righty realized he had been too hard on himself.

“It was crazy, because they all had to figure it out,” Warren said. “Because it is different.”

More struggles followed Warren after he cracked the Yankees’ injury-ravaged Opening Day rotation this season, as he posted a 5.65 ERA over his first seven starts.

Lately, however, the rookie has looked like a different pitcher, permitting just three earned runs while walking three and striking out 26 over his last 18 innings and three starts.

Warren maintained his A game on Tuesday, twirling 5.2 scoreless innings in a 5-2 win over the Rangers. For the second straight start, he set a new career-high in strikeouts, recording 10 against the Rangers. He also totaled five hits, one walk and 101 pitches.

The gem earned a sizable ovation as Warren left the mound.

Will Warren went on a RAMPAGE tonight against the Rangers, racking up 🔟 strikeouts and continuing his DOMINANCE as of late🔥

5.2 IP | 5 H | 0 ER | 10 K | 1 BB | 101 P | 65 S

Warren has a 1.50 ERA over his last 3 starts, and 26 STRIKEOUTS over his last 18 IP😳#Yankees pic.twitter.com/ciDPnzAWQv

— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) May 21, 2025

Prior to Tuesday, Warren attributed his recent success to “hammering down” his gameplans with his batterymates and coaches. Conviction in his repertoire, which includes four well-graded pitches, has also made a tremendous difference.

“I’ve learned a little bit that you can get away with a lot more if you set it up the right way and are confident in what you’re throwing,” Warren said. “Everybody in here can attest that a well-convicted pitch that’s the wrong pitch is better than throwing the right pitch when you don’t fully trust it.”

Before this recent stretch, Warren had frequently been accused of nibbling, and walks burned him more than a few times.

He admitted that getting roughed up in the majors last season “definitely” made him second-guess whether he had the necessary stuff to get big league hitters out at times. However, there have been moments where he simply “lost it” and lacked command, and so he’s “50-50” on the nibbling theory.

“Sometimes you get docked for nibbling, but you’re not really nibbling,” Warren explained. “You’re just barely missing some stuff.

“I do think that, yes, there’s a confidence factor that has changed. It’s like, ‘All right, I’m gonna just throw this.’ And I might miss middle, but I gotta be okay with, ‘This is convicted, and he’s not gonna do any damage on it.’ And sometimes they will.”

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake helped instill that shift in mindset.

“We keep reiterating, ‘You have the stuff to be an above average Major League starter. It’s not going to happen right away, but you’ve got to believe that when you go out there and pitch like you believe that,’” Blake told The News. “I think he’s doing it as he goes and, each outing, gaining confidence in his approach. That allows him to just be more aggressive over the plate and get feedback, because guys don’t really want to swing against him because he has big shapes. They move a lot. He doesn’t throw a ton in-zone. So we’re just encouraging him to try and get as many swings as possible.”

Will Warren was dominant today as he struck out 10 over 5.2 scoreless innings. His Arsenal graded out tremendously with his fastball and sweeper being nearly untouchable.

While his 4.05 ERA doesn’t look great, his 2.86 FIP paints the picture of a future stud! pic.twitter.com/3bESVT4iRF

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) May 21, 2025

Blake also said that Warren has gotten more aggressive against lefties with his fastball and incorporated his curveball more, which has helped.

So has the Yankees’ veteran clubhouse.

Warren leans on older teammates — pitchers and hitters — for advice. He specially mentioned Paul Goldschmidt, Luke Weaver and his rotation mates.

In that sense, the Yankees have been the perfect place for Warren to learn on the fly.

In another, that’s not always the easiest thing to do in the Bronx, where expectations are high and fans are critical. The same supporters who applauded Warren on Tuesday seemed to be losing patience with him just a few weeks ago.

But as Johnson and Blake pointed out, it takes time for young pitchers to develop. Even the great ones.

“There’s the natural part of you want to be good, and there’s a lot of expectations around what we’re expected to do,” Blake said. “There’s a lot outside of just going out and playing the game. Sometimes it’s good to just remind them to go out and play the game. But then for [Warren] in particular, he’s learning about his craft and evolving his arsenal as he goes. So there’s some learning on the job just within his own development, let alone being in the big leagues.”

Warren, of course, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Considering how tough he is on himself, he’s cool with others scrutinizing his performance.

He knows more bumps in the road await, especially as opponents start to adjust. But he’s now sure of his ability to do the same — which is why he’s shown so much growth — and he has complete faith in those ready to assist him.

“This is a good spot,” Warren said. “It’s a tough spot to be in sometimes because you do have to perform right away. But this is also a great place because you got so many resources here.”