Brent Headrick

Brent Headrick is a 6-foot-6 left-hander who the New York Yankees plucked off waivers from the Twins in February 2025. He doesn't throw hard by modern standards, but he misses bats -- and at his size, the ball comes from an angle that hitters don't see every day.

Path to the Bronx

Headrick grew up in Braidwood, Illinois, and pitched at Illinois State before the Twins grabbed him in the ninth round of the 2019 draft. He worked his way through Minnesota's system, showing the kind of strikeout numbers that keep you on prospect radars -- 136 punchouts in 108.1 minor league innings in 2023 alone. He debuted with the Twins on April 19, 2023, and threw 25.2 innings that year, though the results were rough (6.31 ERA).

A forearm strain cost him most of 2024. He returned for a single late-September appearance, threw three solid innings, and then Minnesota designated him for assignment to make room on the roster. The Yankees claimed him on waivers on February 11, 2025. Low risk, potential reward -- the kind of move that doesn't make headlines but fills a bullpen.

Yankees Career

Headrick made 17 relief appearances across three stints with the 2025 Yankees, posting a 3.13 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 23 innings. That's a strikeout rate of nearly 12 per nine innings -- exactly the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that plays in late-game situations. He didn't allow a run in 13 of those 17 outings.

His season ended on the injured list with a left forearm contusion, but the Yankees saw enough to know what they had -- a lefty reliever who can get outs against both sides of the plate.

Key Moments

The Role

Headrick fits the mold of a modern bullpen lefty -- tall, deceptive delivery, high strikeout rate. The Yankees don't need him to close games, but they need him to get outs in the sixth and seventh innings when the game's still on the line. His size creates a tough angle for hitters, and the strikeout numbers suggest his stuff plays up in short stints.

At 6-foot-6, the release point alone does half the work. Hitters pick up the ball later than they'd like, and by the time they've identified the pitch, it's already on them. That deception is what produced those 136 strikeouts in 108.1 minor league innings in 2023, and it's what made the jump to the majors look smooth. He doesn't need to blow fastballs past people (though he can) -- he just needs hitters to start their swing a fraction late. The fact that he went scoreless in 13 of 17 outings tells you the bad innings were rare, not recurring. When he was off, he gave up a run. When he was on -- which was most of the time -- lineups couldn't touch him.

The forearm issues are the elephant in the room. A strain cost him almost all of 2024, and a contusion ended his 2025 season early. Two forearm problems in consecutive years doesn't exactly inspire confidence, and the Yankees will need to see a clean spring before they pencil him into a regular role. But if the arm cooperates, the talent is obvious. You don't strike out nearly 12 batters per nine innings by accident. Headrick didn't cost the Yankees a single prospect or a dollar at the trade deadline -- just a waiver claim in February that turned into one of the bullpen's best arms. That's how you build depth.