One of the pieces that the Pittsburgh Pirates added last season could play a major role in improving the team’s offense in the future.
The Pirates offense is one area they need to improve for next season. One player who can make an impact for the team’s offense is utility player Nick Yorke. Pittsburgh acquired Yorke, ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect, from the Boston Red Sox before the trade deadline last season.
Yorke appeared in 11 games for the Pirates toward the end of last season, slashing .216/.286/.378 with two home runs and five RBIs in 37 at-bats.
During the Winter Meetings, Pirates manager Derek Shelton praised Yorke’s hitting abilities, saying he could be one of the better hitters for the team, as transcribed by Sports Illustrated’s Nathaniel Marrero.
“He can really hit,” Shelton said. ” I think that’s the thing. He controls the zone. He has the ability to drive the ball to right-center field. As a young hitter, he controls the middle of the diamond. He is a bonafide gap-to-gap guy. You’d like to talk about the ability to stay in the middle (of the) field, he has it. I don’t know if we’ve had a young hitter over the last couple of years who controls the at-bats as well as he does at such a young age. It was a good trade for us. We were able to get an impactful guy.”
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“He has (the) versatility to play all over the diamond. We saw him play third, we saw him play second (and) we saw him play in the outfield. So we’ll have to decide with what the makeup of our group is of where he’s going to be.”
Yorke has played great in the minor leagues, slashing .303.383/.449 with 12 home runs and 72 RBIs in 472 at-bats. His defensive versatility is another positive for the Pirates. He is poised to play a big role for Pittsburgh next season and could help improve its offense.
More MLB: Pirates Manager Derek Shelton Addresses Next Steps For Young Pitcher
Featured image via Jeff Curry/Imagn Images