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Physical Description: Sturdy
frame. Filled out for his age. Thick lower half. Lost 25 pounds
between his draft year and first full pro season. Minimal
remaining projection, but could stand to add some strength.
Hit: Typically has started open with his
hands by his chest, but has tinkered with his stance and hitting
mechanics often and significantly in the past couple years. In
2022 Arizona Fall League, experimented with starting with his
hands up and bat pointed behind him before getting to the same
load position. Tried that in early 2023 as well, but reverted
back to his setup with his hands by his shoulders and a quieter
load midyear. Utilizes a slight leg lift timing device. Solid
feel for hit. Has bat speed and a fluid, compact swing.
Two-handed finish. Good barrel control. Willing to use all
fields, but did get pull-happy in 2022 at times as he tinkered
with his mechanics. Has become more susceptible to breaking
pitches down in the zone and struggled against fastballs in the
zone as he has moved through the system. Needs to show the
ability to make more consistent contact on pitches in the zone
to reach his potential, especially against advanced pitching.
Potential average hit tool.
Power:
Average raw power. Has shown the ability to impact the baseball.
Power potential is somewhat limited by his swing path, which is
more designed for hard line drives, but has shown the ability to
drop the barrel and drive the ball with backspin. Potential
fringe-average in-game power.
Run:
Below-average speed. Solid baserunning instincts. Could get
slower as he ages.
Field: Fringy range,
but has soft hands. Can be robotic at times and a little stiff.
Comfortable charging the ball and throwing on the run. Has a
chance to stick at second base, but will never be a standout
defender. Played shortstop in high school but moved to second
base after signing. Began to work out at left field in spring
training 2024 to increase his versatility. Still a work in
progress in the outfield. Played a significant amount of left
field after promotion to Worcester in large part because of the
team’s roster makeup. Potential fringe-average defender at
second.
Arm: Fringe-average arm
strength.
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Career Notes: Mother was a
four-time All-American softball player at Fresno State. Came
onto the organization’s radar because of Fresno State connection
between his mother and scout Josh Labandeira. His two brothers
both play/played college baseball: Joe finished his career at
Cal Poly-SLO after transferring from Boise State when that
school cut its baseball program, while brother Zach plays at
Grand Canyon University. Had shoulder surgery before his junior
year and was limited to DH duty that spring while his shoulder
healed. Selection in the first round surprised many and defied
public draft rankings, but Red Sox were convinced both that he
would have been regarded as a first-round talent if he had a
full spring season and that he would not have been available
when the team picked next in the third round. Was added to the
Club Player Pool very late in the 2020 season, impressing with
quality at-bats against much older competition in about a
week-and-a-half at the Alternate Training Site. Participated in
the 2020 Fall Instructional League. Participated in the 2021
Fall Performance Program. Participated in 2022 Winter Warm-Up.
Entered the 2022 season as a consensus top 50 prospect in the
game. Struggled through multiple injuries in 2022, missing
roughly a week-and-a-half in May/June with turf toe, two weeks
in June due to back stiffness, and another two weeks in July
with left wrist soreness that briefly returned during the
Arizona Fall League, costing him about another week. Unclear to
what degree the injuries contributed to his down season. Had a
healthy, fairly uneventful 2023 in which he played in the
Futures Game and regained some of his prospect stock.
Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program in
January 2024. Was promoted to Worcester midway through the 2024
season, largely due his having reached 700 plate appearances in
Double-A, and produced significantly improved results at the
plate.
Summation: Potential bat-first
bench-utility type. Ceiling of a second division regular. Lacks
the impact on offense to make up for his defense and hold down
an everyday role. Will bring a hit-over-power approach on
offense. 2022 was a step back after his breakout 2021 season,
but that could partially be attributed to injuries and he
bounced back reasonably well in 2023. 2024 started slow, but
improved after a promotion to Worcester. Could be a candidate
for a change of scenery, especially because future fit on Boston
roster is unclear. Tools are not loud, but if he can retain his
contact ability against advanced pitching, has the potential for
roughly average hit and power tools. Does not project to add
much value defensively, but has improved to the point where he
can be passable at second base and should eventually get to that
level in left field as well. Bat would be more valuable at
second base, but will potentially play elsewhere if he is unable
to stick there, and his work at other positions has been
intended to give him more of a chance to fit on a major league
roster. Injury history is somewhat concerning and will need to
be monitored throughout his career.
Links
Red Sox select Nick Yorke with 17th overall pick (6.10.20)
Video from Pawtucket (9.22.2020)
Scout Chatter (11.24.2020)
Scouting Report Update (3.10.2021)
Notes from the Field (5.15.2022)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.13.2023)
Spring Training
Video (3.22.2023) |
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