Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential Pitchers for the Final Rotation Spot

Miguel Yajure

This is more of a reality further down in the year than it is on opening week, but crazier things have happened, and if there is an injury, I think Miguel Yajure is a good candidate. Yajure was acquired through the Tailon trade from the New York Yankees, and Yajure, as of now, was the biggest part of that trade.

Yajure spent the 2020 season on the Yankee taxi squad and even made three appearances for them at the age of 22. Now I know last year was an anomaly, but there has to be something said at a 22-year-old pitching for the Yankees, pandemic or not. He did have his issues, so I think he will spend the beginning of the season in the minors to work out some kinks. We have to remember he went from Double-A to the Majors.

Despite Yajure’s 1.29 ERA, his xFIP tells a different tale which stood at 5.41. Another concerning stat for Yajure was his hard hit rate which stood at a frightening 73.3%, along with an average exit velo at 94.6 MPH. These numbers are quite concerning, but I think most of this is due to nerves and being only 22. They also came in a very, very small sample size.

If you look at his 2019 stats, he was extremely impressive in high A with 127.2 innings pitched, 2.26 ERA, 2.88 xFIP, .214 opponent BA, and a WHIP of 1.00. This kid has the stuff, and I fully expect him to make an impact this year, just unsure if it will be at the beginning or the middle of the year.