Nick Yorke
Nick Yorke was one of the Pirates’ most notable trade deadline acquisitions. Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Quinn Priester, Yorke is a former first-round pick from the 2020 draft. At the time of the trade, Yorke was batting .278/.363/.422 with a .357 wOBA and 116 wRC+ for the Red Sox’s Double-A and Triple-A teams.
Yorke has continued his strong season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Over his first 67 plate appearances in his new organization, Yorke has a .350/.394/.450 triple-slash, .374 wOBA, and 119 wRC+. Although he is walking less frequently than he was with the Sox, posting a 6% BB% compared to 11.5% prior to the trade, he is also striking out less with a 16.4% K%.
Yorke’s numbers under the hood are also strong. He has a 91.1 MPH exit velocity and an 11-degree launch angle at Triple-A. His swing and miss rate is just 19.4%, which ranks top 50 among the 320 batters at this level with at least 200 plate appearances. Yorke’s xwOBA of .364 also paints a bright picture.
Yorke could make a significant impact on the Pirates this year if they call him up. But, regardless, he should be a potential second base Opening Day option, entering spring training with the opportunity to win the job. Nick Gonzales has shown a lot of promise this year, but Yorke has done exceptionally well at Triple-A. Yorke more than deserves a look, and given the Pirates will need to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this offseason, he will surely have a strong chance of making the team’s 2025 Opening Day roster.