Track Record: Lalane was part of the Yankees’ 2021 international signing class and entered the 2024 season as one of the system’s gems. The 6-foot-7 lefthander, whose father played professional basketball in the Dominican Republic, dazzled in the Florida Complex League in 2023. He started his 2024 season strong by spinning two scoreless innings in the Yankees’ Spring Breakout game. The outing was the high point of Lalane’s season. He pitched 12.1 innings all year, including three short outings at Low-A Tampa.
Scouting Report: At his peak, Lalane’s blend of stuff and athleticism points toward one of the highest ceilings in the Yankees’ system. Unfortunately, shoulder fatigue assured that Lalane never again came close to his best in 2024. When healthy, he flashed a mix of three potentially-plus pitches, including a fastball that touched 97 mph, a nasty changeup in the mid 80s and a slider in the high 70s. His slider graded as the best of its kind in the system. If he had been healthy, Lalane was slated to work on adding more power to his arsenal and making the shapes of his breaking pitches more consistent. Scouts who saw some of Lalane’s outings reported a pitcher who looked more physical than the version that dominated hitters a year prior. Lalane’s mix was amplified by potentially-plus control borne from the high-end athleticism that allowed him uncommon control of his limbs for someone his size.
The Future: Much like fellow top prospect Chase Hampton, Lalane’s 2024 season was a wash. He’ll enter 2025 hoping a return to health brings his stuff back to the level it showed in 2023. If he does, he’ll take a second crack at beginning his journey through the minor leagues and realizing his sky-high potential.
Track Record: Lalane was part of the Yankees’ 2021 international signing class. The lefthander comes from athletic bloodlines, with a father who played basketball collegiately in New York, then for the Dominican national team and professionally in Europe, and a mother who played volleyball. Both parents passed their athleticism to their son, who spent two seasons in the Dominican Summer League before moving to the Florida Complex League in 2023. He was the clear-cut best pitching prospect on the circuit, with a 34-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21.2 innings.
Scouting Report: Lalane’s hallmark is not a single pitch but the combination of size, athleticism and stuff that gives him an extremely high upside. The 6-foot-7 lefty works with a four-pitch mix, starting with a mid-90s fastball that peaked at 97 mph. The pitch has strong movement properties and gains deception because of its low release height. He backs up his fastball primarily with a mid-80s changeup and a high-70s slider. Each projects to at least a plus pitch. Lalane’s changeup was deceptive enough to get whiffs at a nearly 53% clip, and his slider was nasty enough that he could throw it at the back foot of righthanders and get plenty of awkward swings and misses. Lalane tied his mix together with impressive coordination of his massive frame and long levers, to the point where he could throw strikes in both quality and volume. The next steps will be to work to keep his slider shape more consistent and to get stronger in order to add more velocity to all his pitches.
The Future: Lalane will graduate to full-season ball in 2024 and could see time at both Class A levels. If he continues to show the same combination of stuff, athleticism and coordination, he could be the best lefthander New York has developed since Jordan Montgomery.