Nick Yorke joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in a July trade that sent pitching prospect Quinn Priester to the Boston Red Sox. Both prospects once held elite status in their respective systems and earned fresh starts in this trade.
Yorke ignited a new era for Boston as then-chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom’s first draft pick back in 2020. Yorke went professional as the first of three high school infielders from California to be drafted by the Red Sox followed by Marcelo Mayer in 2021 and Mikey Romero in 2022. Yorke went through his ups and downs over his first three full seasons before really turning it on in 2024.
Prior to the deal to Pittsburgh, Yorke earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox system. He hit .310 with six home runs and an .898 OPS. He picked up where he left off after the trade in Triple-A Indianapolis, slashing .355/.431/.507 for a .938 OPS in 40 games.
The Pirates eventually called Yorke to MLB in mid-September, hitting his first big-league home run and playing in eight games. Pittsburgh closes out the season this weekend with sights on 2025. Jared Jones and Paul Skenes have the starting rotation in good hands. Up the middle, Yorke could definitely add meaning at-bats and, at the very least, provide valuable depth behind capable second baseman Nick Gonzales and shortstop Oneil Cruz.
Yorke and the Pirates close out the 2024 season in New York against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
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Featured image via Jeff Curry/Imagn Images