Carlos Lagrange has a 103 mph answer to Aaron Judge in stiff Yankees test

TAMPA — Carlos Lagrange stepped onto the mound at Steinbrenner Field on Monday afternoon, looked toward the batter’s box and thought, “Damn, it’s Aaron Judge.” Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.A few pitches into the live batting practice, Judge crushed a 99.3 mph fastball into the seats for a home run.But Lagrange, one of the top Yankees pitching prospects, showed his mettle and high-end stuff throughout the rest of the session, coming back to fan Judge on a 102.6 mph heater, a showdown that had the sizable crowd buzzing on the first day of full-squad workouts.“He’s going to be special,” Judge said.

“You can look up at the radar and see 103 mph — the fastball he threw by me — but I think it’s also just a presence he has on the mound.He’s a kid that, we sent up a nasty lineup against him today and he didn’t care.

He wanted to be out there and he came right after us.That’s what you need.”Across three simulated innings, in his first big league camp, Lagrange got a stiff test by facing Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham.But the 22-year-old did not back down from the challenge, showing off a fastball that often hits triple digits to go with what manager Aaron Boone called a “special” changeup and sharp sweeper.“When I see those guys, I feel really good because I’m here [in big league camp] with them,” Lagrange said.

“But I try to do the same thing: throw in my zone and go through my pitches.“I know 102 is really hard, but I work out hard in the offseason.When you do a really good job in the offseason, that’s the result.”Lagrange, whose biggest hurdles in the minor leagues have been throwing enough strikes and staying healthy, finished last year at Double-A Somerset, where he made 15 starts and posted a 3.22 ERA.

He is already far along in his buildup for this season, throwing 49 pitches i...