Nick Yorke and Billy Cook trades addressed systems biggest need

Two deals at the deadline netted the Pirates a pair of upper-level hitting prospects

Dec 18, 2024

At the trade deadline, the Pirates addressed one of their system's most immediate needs: upper-level hitting prospects. They did so through two trades, trading pitching prospects Quinn Priester and Patrick Reilly and bringing back Nick Yorke (Red Sox) and Billy Cook (Orioles).

They hit the ground running once joining Triple-A Indianapolis, playing well and eventually making their major league debut.

Cook, 25, batted .276/.389/.486 in 30 games with Indianapolis before the promotion, hitting five home runs and stealing nine bases while posting a wRC+ of 130.

He struggled after getting to the majors, striking out nearly 40% of the time in 49 plate appearances, but he also hit three home runs.

The defensive metrics loved Cook in the outfield, as he had a +6 DRS on FanGraphs and a +2 Outs Above Average (OAA) on Baseball Savant. His OAA was tied with Oneil Cruz for the second-best mark on the team among outfielders.

Yorke, 22, played in 40 games with Indianapolis after the trade, hitting .355/.431/.507 with a 147 wRC+. He collected 54 hits, 19 of which went for extra bases, in those 40 games before getting promoted.

He posted above-average exit velocity numbers but didn’t pull the ball as much to take advantage of it. Most of the 17 doubles he hit in AAA were to the right-center field gap.

The most notable thing about Yorke’s time in AAA was that the Pirates bumped him around the field, getting playing time at second, third, short, and all three outfield positions.

Up to the trade, he had played just second base and left field with the Red Sox.

He played okay in his 11-game cameo at the end of the season. His only two extra-base hits were home runs, and he posted a wRC+ of 82 in 42 plate appearances while getting playing time at second, third, and corner outfield positions.

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Yorke graded below average on FanGraphs and Baseball Savant at second, and broke even in the outfield.

While the pitching depth is the clear strength of the organization, they severely lacked upper-level hitting prospects after most graduated over the last year or two (Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis, and Endy Rodriguez).

Since a small market team isn’t going to be in the market for the bigger name free agents, they need to keep a constant stream of prospects hitting the majors. It helps keep constant competition or creates a potential trade chip to help address other areas.

For the Pirates, it’s a cost-efficient way to try to improve their hitting woes in recent years.

Neither Yorke nor Cook have established themselves as major league regulars, but they have also displayed tools that could contribute to the Pirates in 2025 and beyond.

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What exactly the role will be is yet to be determined, but the Pirates did a great job trading from a position of strength to a position of weakness.

It’s something they did again this offseason in dealing Luis Ortiz and two prospects to land Spencer Horwitz, who will be under team control until 2031. With their ability to identify and develop pitchers, it’s also something that they could continue to do in the future to add to the major league roster.

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