The Allure Of Tyler Yates Too Strong For Pirates To Ignore
By Tom Smith
Proving one more time that power arms
still cause a stir in the loins of baseball executives, the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed Tyler Yates. Yes. Again. Affection has always surrounded Yates in Pittsburgh, as it’s quite apparent the front office sees something it likes in this 6’4″ pitcher from Hawaii. The Pirates fans have a special affection for the right-handed reliever as well.
Back in 2008, Yates caught the fancy of the Pirates front office. He was acquired from the Atlanta Braves and has been around the Pirates organization despite less than impressive numbers. Yates had an ERA+ of 91 and 57 during his time with the Bucs, but has always thrown hard, as in… 96 mile an hour heat, but often times has little control of the pitch.
All that heat caught up with flamethrower as Yates had an elbow injury in May of 2009, two months later he was getting Tommy John surgery to repair the damage. Yates will compete for a spot in the Pirates pen and if it doesn’t work out, he could throw hard and issue walks for AAA Indy. Or miracles could happen, he finds the zone, throws harder than ever and, well nevermind.