Nick Yorke is providing a reminder of why he was a first-round pick

Photo Credit: The Boston Globe

Ever since the Red Sox selected Nick Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, he has been one of the most watched players in the system. After a stellar start to his career, the 21-year-old dealt with injuries last season which limited his impact. Now fully healthy, he has put the 2022 campaign in the rearview mirror and gotten off to a hot start.

In his first taste of Double-A action, Yorke has posted a .292 average in 168 at-bats. While that is a small sample size, the California native is improving as the games pile up. In May, the Newport native had eight multi-hit games while drawing 16 walks. As Yorke was an on-base machine, he continued to show a little bit of power.

So far this season, Yorke has 16 extra-base hits after finishing the 2022 campaign with 22. He has been making hard contact and needs three more doubles to match his total from last year. Against more advanced competition, the talented infielder is holding his own and looking more like the player who .325 in his first minor league season. While he excelled at the plate, Yorke has also been solid defensively.

Through 316.2 innings at second base, the 2020 draftee has only committed two errors. He has turned 17 double plays in that span and added 83 assists to his resume. As he has done throughout his professional career, Yorke has provided stability at second and rarely made any mistakes.

As the 2023 campaign continues, Yorke will be a player fans look for in the box score. He projects to be an above-average hitter due to his advanced approach at the plate. The Red Sox’s fifth-best prospect also has 27 stolen bases in the minors, including six this season. Yorke’s ability to affect a game in multiple ways made him a top-ten pick.

Over the next few months, Yorke will be looking to build on his success and move closer to the majors. He will do that alongside Marcelo Mayer, who was recently promoted to Double-A. It is an exciting time for the Sea Dogs as they will get a firsthand look at what the future holds for the Red Sox’s middle infield.

If Yorke can continue his recent success, then a stop in Worcester could be in his future this season. He is hitting .308 in June and is showing no signs of slowing down. After seemingly his first taste of adversity in the minors, Yorke has provided a reminder of how good he is.

Follow Jamie on Twitter @JamieGatlin17

For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.

Join our new Facebook group for all of our latest content, click the link here.