Prospect Profile: Harrison Cohen
by Greg Corcoran
6-foot-0
190-pounds
Relief Pitcher
Right-handed
24-years-old
Few players in the Yankees farm system made as big of a jump in 2023 as Harrison Cohen. Going from an undrafted free agent signing to earning a promotion to Double-A Somerset on merit must have been quite the whirlwind. Cohen wasn’t just roster filler either. The Yankees development team placed him in Double-A to end the season because he belonged there, passing numerous drafted prospects on the way.
Cohen spent his college days at George Washington University in Washington DC, where he performed well as a starting pitcher. He threw 87.1 innings in 2022 and finished with a 3.92 ERA and 93 K : 28 BB. He went on to participate in the Cape Cod League where he pitched to a 2.78 ERA and 25 K : 11 BB in 35.2 innings over eight starts. Afterwards, he got the call from the Yankees and was placed in Low-A Charleston to start the 2023 season as a reliever.
There he quickly proved that he was overmatching hitters, striking out four and walking none in 2.1 innings. He was immediately promoted to High-A where he spent most of the season. In Hudson valley, he threw 46.2 innings and struck out 60 while walking 24. He had a 3.86 ERA at the level. Finally, he got a cup of coffee with Double-A Somerset and threw 3.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and two walks over two appearances.
All told, he had a 3.61 ERA and 67 K : 26 BB in 52.1 relief innings in 2023. Batters hit just .205 against him. Not bad for his first season as a pro.
Harrison has three pitches. His fastball sits 93.5 mph and hits 95. It has 6-12 inches of horizontal movement and 17-22 inches of vertical break. He controls it well. He also has a nasty changeup with a 10 mph differential from the fastball and 18 inches of tail and 30-36 inches of break. He rounds out the repertoire with a slider that sits at 82 mph and has 36 inches of break and 4-8 inches of horizontal movement. This is the pitch mix he used to stifle hitters throughout the season, and it may get even better.
Cohen had good control as an amateur, but his walk rate was a bit too high in his first season. If he can improve his command of the strike zone, Cohen should improve his numbers significantly in 2024. Batters have hit for a low average against him, so logic would dictate that throwing more strikes would lead to much greater success in his case.
Harrison has the ceiling of a middle relief pitcher in the major leagues, in the mold of a Ron Marinaccio type. If his velocity ticks up, control improves, and he upgrades a couple of his pitches the ceiling could go higher. It’s an uphill climb for any undrafted free agent to make the major leagues, but Cohen has put himself within striking distance early in his career.
He’ll likely start 2024 where he finished 2023. There’s a good chance he’ll continue his success in Double-A and from there anything can happen. We’ll all be rooting for him to make it to the show and complete what would be a great story.