Former first-round pick turning spring chances into Pirates roster pressure

When the Pirates acquired Nick Yorke in the Quinn Priester trade at the 2024 deadline, some of the shine had already worn off the young prospect. He was a couple of years removed from his placement on a host of Top 100 lists, but he seemed to be adjusting to higher levels of play. Now that Yorke has put on some muscle and made adjustments to his swing, the long-awaited breakout may be just around the corner.

Yorke has already demonstrated his versatility at the big-league level. He has made starts at the corner outfield spots as well as first, second, and third base. If he can improve his performances at the plate, we could be looking at a superior version of Jared Triolo — or perhaps even an upgrade from the defensive wizard Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Strong spring results have awakened long-dormant hopes for former first-rounder Nick Yorke.

The swing adjustment seems like it could be the biggest difference-maker for Yorke. He is apparently attempting to create more loft. Last year, Yorke struggled to consistently replicate contact. He pulled 20% of pitches in the air, but he didn’t have the bat speed and barrel rate to really drive them. He found the barrel just 2% of the time. Things look different this spring as evidenced by the pair of 110+ mph singles he rapped out against the Red Sox.

The Pirates and the projections already like Yorke’s bat-to-ball skills. FanGraphs puts his projected batting average at .254, fifth-highest on the team's projected depth chart. His OPS, though, is the area that is lagging behind his peers. More hard contact this spring could convince manager Don Kelly that Yorke is closing that gap.

Triolo would be the player most threatened by a Yorke breakout. They’re similar enough that the Pirates would rethink carrying both on their roster. The ascension of Konnor Griffin as the everyday shortstop would exacerbate that conflict and draw Nick Gonzales into the conversation. At the end of the day, the Pirates can only have so many versatile, light-hitting infielders, and Yorke has a good chance of standing out from the crowd.