Pirates may have a sneaky depth answer emerging at third base

Though the Pittsburgh Pirates have turned over a new leaf at many of their problem areas this offseason — including second base (Brandon Lowe), designated hitter (Marcell Ozuna), and general left-handed power bats (Ryan O'Hearn) — one position that went unchecked was third base.

Though they aren't exactly reeling from the loss of Ke'Bryan Hayes at last year's trade deadline, it's clear that the Pirates could have done more to address the position this offseason. Jared Triolo is the presumed starter at the hot corner, though he's still better suited for the super-utility role in which he won a Gold Glove in 2024.

Thus, the emergence of another option at camp was inevitable, and it has taken the form of Nick Yorke.

The Boston Red Sox's first-round pick in 2020, the Pirates acquired Yorke at the 2024 trade deadline for Quinn Priester (who was later rerouted to NL Central rival Milwaukee). Though he's only garnered 114 plate appearances of MLB action since, there's enough upside packed into his profile to hope that he can emerge as the long-term answer at third base in Pittsburgh.

Nick Yorke has prime opportunity to claim Pirates' third base job in 2026

Yorke's bat hasn't quite come around at the major-league level yet — he's sitting on a 68 wRC+ through his first 33 games — but he has torched Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .938 OPS in 2024 and .754 OPS in 2025.

Though he's yet to show much impact in terms of power, he is a solid contact hitter who generally does a good job of avoiding strikeouts, and his whiff and chase habits are beyond advanced for a 23-year-old. Backed by solid bat speed, Yorke can upgrade the bottom of the Pirates' order, particularly if he can get on-base enough to parlay his above-average speed into more stolen base opportunities.

His glove is, of course, a key factor in this discussion as well. He'll probably never field quite as well as Triolo, but York has flashed a league-average glove at five positions (first base, second, third, left field, and right), with most of his time coming at the keystone.

Competition is also thin. Beyond Triolo, there's no other third base candidates on the 40-man roster. Perhaps Nick Gonzales could slide over to the corner to make room for top prospect Konnor Griffin whenever he arrives, but his glove isn't exactly a thing of beauty (-11 DRS at second base in 2025). If the Pirates want to move Triolo around to cover for any days off or injuries, Yorke immediately becomes the next man up.

This is all just speculation for now about a few spring training drills. But with Brandon Lowe locking down second base and Konnor Griffin soon to do the same at shortstop, Yorke's best opportunity to start on this team looks exceedingly like it'll come at third.