TAMPA — As far as aces go, Max Fried is about as low-maintenance as they come.
So in what has been a relatively uneventful spring for the Yankees, Fried has fit right in with a ho-hum buildup toward his start on Opening Day in San Francisco.
But as the Yankees await the early season returns of Carlos Rodón and then Gerrit Cole from the injured list — potentially forming a three-headed monster that Fried said was part of what drew him to the organization in the first place — the left-hander’s value as an anchor of the rotation remains significant.
“He’s how you hoped it would be,” manager Aaron Boone said Saturday at Steinbrenner Field after Fried threw 75 pitches across 5 ¹/₃ innings of a 6-4 loss to the Phillies. “He loves the game — that’s evident. You live that with a guy all year long, you see who really loves it, and he loves the craft of pitching. He loves all that being on a team is about. He’s similar to [Aaron Judge] in that way, where it’s team above him, is how he kind of embodies it. Super accountable. Demands a lot of himself and his teammates.
“And the thing that’s really stood out to me is how great of an athlete he is. It’s fun to watch him control the running game, get off the mound. I’m quite confident if we were ever in a situation that I needed a center fielder or something, he could go out and do that well.”
Boone added with a chuckle that he does not see that scenario actually happening, though Fried, the four-time Gold Glover and former Silver Slugger, would probably be game for it.
Instead, the Yankees just need Fried to deliver more of what he did in his first season in pinstripes.
Despite a rough stretch late in the summer after a blister threw him out of rhythm, Fried pitched to a 2.86 ERA across 32 starts and 195 ¹/₃ innings, living up to the first installment of his eight-year, $218 million contract.
Now more comfortable in his surroundings with a year in The Bronx under his belt, Fried is the sure thing in a rotation that is projected to open the season with high potential but also some relative inexperience behind him in Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil.
“It’s definitely a different position to be in, but it’s not like Carlos and Gerrit aren’t around,” Fried said. “So you still have those guys around, they’re going to be available to me and all of those guys as well. Anything I can do to help anyone, I’m obviously willing because at the end of the day, we all want the same thing: we want to win and perform well.”
That includes doing the little things well, like fielding his position.
During a bunt defense drill earlier in camp, Fried was vocal and invested, providing some extra juice to an otherwise mundane part of every spring training.
“He drives a lot of the conversation, too,” Boone said. “A lot of the drill stuff that we’ve done, fundamental stuff, he’s a big voice and is pushing guys and is asking questions. He’s kind of setting the tone and setting the standard.”
In Saturday’s exhibition, Fried was charged with an error on a pickoff throw to second base, though it should have gone to Jazz Chisholm Jr. for dropping the throw. It led to one of the three runs he allowed on five hits, though he did not walk a batter and felt his command was as good as it’s been all spring.
Fried will have one final tuneup next week before it gets real on Opening Day against the Giants, holding down the fort until his fellow established veterans join the fold.
“When I signed, one of the things I was most excited about was to be able to pitch with Gerrit and Carlos, knowing the success that they’ve had and the talent they have,” Fried said. “They’re some of the best pitchers in the game. Knowing that I get to learn from them and be able to get to know them personally, I’m really excited about it.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
