TOMS RIVER – It’s easy to envy Will Warren.
He’s young and a Yankee.
The New York Yankees’ starting pitcher signed autographs and mingled with an estimated 300 fans at Santos Sports Collectibles at the Ocean County Mall.
“It’s quite an honor – greatest thing ever,” said Warren, 27. “You go all over the world and there are Yankees logos everywhere. Just wearing the pinstripes is truly an honor. The Yankees experience has been crazy. The fans, the stadium and New York itself are a monster from the outside.
“This is a dream come true. To be on the mound in front of 40,000 fans is special. If I did my job, the people who grew up as diehard Yankees fans went home with happiness,” he said.
Warren has tight relationships with former New York relievers Ron Marinaccio and Mark Leiter Jr., both ex-Toms River High School North pitchers. Marinaccio is a San Diego Padres reliever. Leiter Jr. came to terms as an A’s bullpenner on a one-year contract worth about $3 million, according to mlb.com.
“I am very close with Ron,” Warren said. “I played together with Ron in the minors. I was pretty bummed out when he left for San Diego. Mark helped me out a lot as he is a veteran guy. He taught me how to learn from my mistakes and that if you have a good outing to reflect on it.”
The Yankees hope to be fitted for World Series rings in 2026.
“We’re a tight knit group,” Warren said. “Our one goal is to win the World Series. We work our butts off each year to accomplish that goal.”
Warren was 9-8 with a 4.44 earned run average during the 2025 regular season. He was third on the staff in innings pitched (162 1/3). He allowed 158 hits, including 22 homers, walked 65 and fanned 171. Batters hit .250 against the righty through 33 games. He notched his first career major-league win in 2025.
Past ace Gerrit Cole, Caros Rodon and Clarke Schmidt are nursing injuries, leaving plenty of room for Warren to return to the rotation.
“I will be in the starting rotation again,” Warren said. “I will get a lot of starts. The guys are banged up. I hope to solidify my role as a starter before they come back.”
The Yankees selected Warren in the eighth round (243rd overall) in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University where he earned a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science. Not heavily recruited by the school, Warren also considered attending the University of Southern Mississippi and several junior colleges. He made his major-league debut in 2024 and won his first game in 2025.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. “The draft is really unpredictable. Teams list their guys and everything switches. The Yanks called and we said, ‘Let’s go for it.’ When I was drafted, my first thought was, ‘It’s the Yankees – the ultimate sports team,’ but I wanted the opportunity to be with anyone.”
Warren played his first professional season with Hudson Valley (N.Y.) in High-A of the South Atlantic League in 2021. He was promoted to the Somerset Patriots of the Eastern League, a Double-A circuit.
“I made it to Double-A in six weeks,” he said. “That’s when it hit me. I said, ‘I can do this.’ “
Warren slays hitters with six pitches. His fastball zips past the plate between 93-95 miles per hour.
“I would say my out pitches to lefties are my changeup and curveball,” he said. “Against righties, I’ll use either my sweeper or slider.”
During his two-hour appearance, Warren signed any item for $60 and any inscription for $20. James Spence Authentication was included. It’s the standard industry process for verifying the authenticity of autographs. VIP Packages (access the Meet and Greet, a signed baseball with Warren’s inscription) were sold for $105.
Obliging young and old, male and female fans, Warren signed his No. 98 jersey and four pairs of his cleats. He inked action photos and baseballs. He posed for pictures and spoke with fans. Numerous fans wore Yankees jerseys. One fan asked Warren to say hello to New York manager Aaron Boone for him. Warren said he would do so.
“It was fun being around the fans. I play baseball as I love it. The fans are the reason we do what we do.”
Warren signed one baseball card and one baseball for Chase Rankin, a Toms River High School East sophomore whose dad is Jim Rankin, Toms River South’s head baseball coach.
“Will Warren is the first Yankee I’ve ever met,” young Rankin said. “He talked about the players in the clubhouse with me. He said Austin Wells (a New York catcher) is his favorite player in the clubhouse. Will said he played in the minors with him.”
The event was organized by Frank Luna of Point Pleasant Boro.
“As a kid, I came here in 2004 to meet Don Mattingly (who starred for the Yankees),” Luna said. “To bring Yankees here to meet families makes my heart warm.”
The store’s co-owners are East graduates Jack (1981) and Tony Santos (1985). They have owned the store for three years. They have hosted such luminaries as Ben Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera, Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Wally Backman, Lawrence Taylor, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Bartolo Colon, Mark Bavarro and Howard Johnson.
“Gooden was probably one of the best to come here,” Jack Santos, 62, said. “HoJo wore his ring. He let the kids try it on. Doc showed the kids how to throw a changeup. Most of the athletes are down-to-earth and just like you and I. They’re normal people – just with a lot of talent and the ability to be professional baseball players. It seems like the young players such as Cabrera and Rice are really nice to the fans. Having the big GOAT (greatest of all time) Taylor in the house was tremendous. Each time we have a show, two to 300 people show up – sometimes more.”
