Warren making most of Gator aid at Yank camp
As Ron Guidry breezed through the Yankees' locker room on Monday, he scolded Will Warren.
“I gave him one job,” Guidry said when the Daily News asked about the pitching prospect, who sat at his locker within earshot. “He already f–ked it up. I told him that I had something for him and he forgot it.”
The 1978 American League Cy Young winner and guest instructor sounded stern at first. But the exchange lightened when Warren responded in a laughing manner.
“He made some of that famous jambalaya, and I forgot to grab it,” Warren explained a few minutes later. “He brought some for some of the coaches.
“He said if there's any extras, take 'em home. I told him I would and then I got out of here in a hurry and left it behind. But it's there today. Hopefully nobody gets it before I get it.”
While Guidry playfully feigned disappointment in Warren for not sampling the homecooked meal, the 73-year-old and the 24-yearold have connected over their links to Louisiana and the state's other delicacies.
“Naturally, we have a bond,” said Guidry, a Lafayette native who earned the nicknames “Louisiana Lightning” and “Gator” while pitching for the Yankees from 1975-1988.
Warren is from Brandon, Miss., but he pitched for Southeastern Louisiana University from 20182021. That fact — and the likelihood that Warren will make his debut this season — sparked Guidry's interest in the pitcher this spring.
It's also led to occasional ribbing.
“I asked him why he didn't go to UL,” Guidry said, referring to his alma mater. “He said he wanted to but it didn't work out.”
Warren, who allowed one earned run and struck out three over 2.2 innings in his spring debut on Tuesday, actually met Guidry around this time last year.
The Yankees asked a few minor leaguers to fill out their bullpen for an early-spring exhibition game. They were placed in the same locker room as coaches and guest instructors, which sits down the hall from the big league campers' clubhouse.
“I knew who he was and he probably didn't know who we were,” Warren recalled. “So I was just trying to stay in my lane I guess and not step on any toes.”
Now Warren seeks out the Louisiana legend, whom he heard about growing up and as he rose through the minor leagues. Guidry — as he does for other pitchers — watches Warren's bullpens and offers his two-cents as he sees fit.
“He's a Yankee great. It's fun to just be around him and learn from him,” Warren said. “It's cool to have him around because he's very helpful. “He's helped me with staying within myself.” That's been key for Warren this spring, as a lot of eyes are on him.
The prevailing thought is that the righty is just about ready for the majors — if not there already — after recording a 3.35 ERA over 129 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year.
Multiple members of the Yankees' organization have indicated that Warren will debut this year, including owner Hal Steinbrenner and pitching coach Matt Blake. Meanwhile, Aaron Boone has said that Warren is a starter.
A multi-inning bullpen role would give Warren a shot at the Opening Day roster if the Yankees were to consider it, but they also need to keep him built up, as he's one of their top depth starters if someone in the projected rotation gets hurt.
“I would think he's definitely in the mix at some point this year,” Blake said toward the end of the offseason. “Obviously, if health stays perfect for us, he may be the odd man out, but just with the way 162 games shake out, I'm sure his name will be called at some point.”
As Warren works his way toward the big leagues, he has plenty of people advising him.
In addition to Guidry, former Yankees starters CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte are also in camp. Warren's locker, meanwhile, is perpendicular to the Yankees' seasoned starters, including Gerrit Cole, the reigning Cy Young winner.
“Our resources here are the best,” Warren said. “They're talking, and it will just be casual conversation, and you're picking up on something that they don't even realize they're teaching us, but we're just listening in. And you're like, ‘Oh, I never thought about it like that.'
“You get a little, ‘Oh my gosh, I grew up watching these guys. It's crazy that they're gonna be there.' But at the same time, you're kind of like, ‘Alright, let's see how I can learn from these guys.' Because you're trying to get to that point in your career.”
Warren admitted that he has to hold his fandom in a little bit sometimes. It's yet to sink in that his big league camp experience will becomes his everyday life sooner than later if all goes well.
Perhaps that will change when he joins Guidry and company on the long list of Yankees hurlers.
“I don't know if it's hit me yet,” Warren said of his new normal. “Maybe when I throw that first pitch in Yankee Stadium, it'll hit me and I'll be like, ‘Oh s–t. This is wild.'”