Let's talk about Eddy Yean
Eddy Yean continues his strong spring in major league camp
One of the early trades of the Ben Cherington era included sending first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals in exchange for pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean.
Crowe immediately went to Pittsburgh, pitching for the Pirates for a couple of years, and is now overseas playing. Yean, a teenager during the trade, has been a slow brewer throughout the system. He pitched with Bradenton in 2021 and then spent two years in Greensboro before starting 2024 in Altoona and finishing it with Triple-A Indianapolis.
After a stint in the Arizona Fall League and getting passed over in the Rule 5, Yean finds himself in major league camp. He has had a strong spring since games began.
He’s appeared in four games so far, pitching five innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four batters without giving up a run.
In his first game against the Braves, Yean dialed his fastball up to 97 mph. That’s not something new to him; he hit 98 while in Bradenton. The difference is that he’s throwing more strikes with the pitch.
During the 2021 season, Yean walked 13.2% of the batters he faced. Fast forward to last year, he cut that by more than half, down to 6.8%.
The first two games he pitched in didn’t have statcast data, so this was from his most recent. He’s throwing two distinctly different fastballs, along with a slider and change-up. That gives him four pitches to work with as a reliever, with the potential to go north/south and east/west.
After Crowe was designated for assignment, outrighted, and eventually released, things didn’t seem hopeful for the Bell trade. Yean was the only player left, and he had just wrapped up his second straight season in Greensboro, where he had a combined 5.90 ERA.
He got the push up to Altoona and things started to click. The walks dropped, and he struck out 69 batters in 75 innings (including his two in Triple-A) while posting a 3.36 ERA.
The Pirates brought in quite a few non-roster relievers to compete for a very limited amount of spots in the bullpen.
Despite the strong start, it seems too steep a hill for Yean to make the Opening Day roster, but he continues his ascension that started in 2024. He’s forced himself into the depth picture, and things are heading in the right direction for him to make his major league debut this season potentially.
This would add him to the group that reminds everyone that development isn’t linear and that sometimes it takes a little longer for some to become the players they are supposed to be.
Support the site by becoming a paid member, and get access to all of our premium content, including our Top 25 list with complete player write-ups and video breakdowns, which come out weekly.
It will also give access to my player feature articles from on-site trips.
We have monthly and yearly plans available, with the latter costing an average of $4.16/month.
Yes, let's talk about Eddy Yean.
The Eddy Yean Cartel is about to leave the station.... Alllllll Aboooaarrrd!