{"id":34166,"date":"2025-02-16T18:56:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T18:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=34166"},"modified":"2025-02-16T18:56:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T18:56:04","slug":"an-excellent-addition-a-really-unique-talent-max-fried-is-already-making-an-impression-with-the-yankees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=34166","title":{"rendered":"“An excellent addition, a really unique talent:” Max Fried is already making an impression with the Yankees"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 The signature Max Fried curveball was on display Saturday, unleashed during his second live batting practice of Yankees\u2019 camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s feeling really good, other times you\u2019ve got to work to find it,\u2019\u2019 Fried said of his spring training routine. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of been my pitch since I was 12, 13 years old.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, Fried attended Reggie Smith\u2019s baseball academy and learned from the ex-MLB outfielder \u201ca bunch of different grips\u2019\u2019 to throw the curveball, \u201cand I was able to take it from there.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Smith remains a mentor to the left-handed Fried, who also studied video of the pitching mechanics and the approach of Sandy Koufax, even wearing his No. 32 as a youth.<\/p>\n

Now, as a teammate of Gerrit Cole\u2019s, \u201canything I can learn from him, I\u2019m all ears,\u2019\u2019 said Fried, who joined the Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million free agent contract.<\/p>\n

Increasing Max Fried’s strikeout totals<\/h2>\n

Signing Fried, 31, was the Yankees\u2019 first response after losing free agent Juan Soto to the Mets, bolstering a rotation that was already a team strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn excellent addition, a really unique talent,\u2019\u2019 Cole said of Fried. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things he can do with the baseball and he\u2019s a highly regarded teammate as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a pleasure to see him go about his work,\u2019\u2019 said Cole, impressed by Fried\u2019s \u201cfocus and concentration every time he throws the ball.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

And the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Fried has a wide arsenal, including a fastball that can reach 98-mph, a sinker, changeup, two types of sliders, and a cutter, to go with the big curveball.<\/p>\n

After eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves \u2013 including their 2021 world championship club, when he started the World Series clincher \u2013 manager Aaron Boone said that Fried already \u201cseems very comfortable\u2019\u2019 in pinstripes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we signed him, he\u2019s been a sponge,\u2019\u2019 Boone said of Fried\u2019s eagerness to absorb new information.<\/p>\n

For instance, the Yankees\u2019 staff believes that Fried can increase his strikeout totals, and \u201cI think there\u2019s absolutely room for that,\u2019\u2019 said Fried. \u201cAt the end of the day, strikeouts come from consistent shapes of pitches and good location.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean altering Fried\u2019s persona as pitcher who induces grounders and misses barrels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been able to have a lot of success getting weak contact and grounders,\u2019\u2019 said Fried, owner of a superb 58.1 percent groundball rate over the past two seasons. \u201cBut I can definitely add more of that (swing and miss) portion to my game than what I do already.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to complain about being able to strike out more guys.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Max Fried has already impressed the Yankees<\/h2>\n

Boone has been impressed by Fried since the organization\u2019s initial Zoom chat in early December, when the lefty made \u201can easy connection\u2019\u2019 with the staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a lot of good questions for our pitching guys,\u2019\u2019 said Boone, and that inquisitive nature piqued the organization\u2019s interest beyond his already impressive credentials and 3.07 career ERA.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to come over and have a fresh new set of eyes and give you new ideas – any new information I can bring in to enhance (my career),\u2019\u2019 is welcome for Fried, a first-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres who came of age in the historically pitching-rich Braves organization.<\/p>\n

“I’m just trying to be open-minded,” said Fried. “And soak up as much as I can.”<\/p>\n

Yankees manager Aaron Boone on contract talks<\/h2>\n
\"Feb<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Responding to GM Brian Cashman\u2019s comments about signing Aaron Boone to an extension, and soon, the manager said: \u201cI would echo the same thing; I hope we get it done.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

On Friday, Cashman said it was the Yankees\u2019 intent to get a contract extension firmed up for Boone, operating on his final guaranteed year after owner Hal Steinbrenner triggered his 2025 option.<\/p>\n

Contract talks have already begun, and Cashman said a new deal could be hammered out during spring training.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no place I\u2019d rather be,\u2019\u2019 said Boone, who is \u201ccertainly optimistic and hopeful now\u2019\u2019 of remaining beyond 2025, his eighth season at the Yanks\u2019 helm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 The signature Max Fried curveball was on display Saturday, unleashed during his second live batting practice of Yankees\u2019 camp. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s feeling really good,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n"An excellent addition, a really unique talent:'' Max Fried is already making an impression with the Yankees - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=34166\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""An excellent addition, a really unique talent:'' Max Fried is already making an impression with the Yankees - 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