Nick Yorke talks hot start at plate in Worcester; compares his defensive game to a 'golden retriever'
Boston Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke was called up to Triple-A Worcester on June 5th and has slashed .324/.414/.541 over 28 games. His .955 OPS is the highest in his minor league career since a 21-game stint in Greenville to end that season.
Yorke peaked on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list at #31 back in 2022 and has since dropped in all prospect rankings after an underwhelming season at the plate in Greenville that year. He was better in 2023 in Double-A Portland, but still below where he was in previous years.
What has clicked in Worcester?
“I just think my approach is in a pretty good spot.” Yorke said. “I feel like I am hitting heaters over the plate the other way and if I am getting any off-speed pitches, I am pulling those. I just feel like I am not missing those pitches right now. I just want to stay consistent with where my approach is at the moment.
It usually is an adjustment period for both hitters and pitchers when making the jump from Double-A to Triple-A. Any given night there are sometimes 2-3 pitchers throwing that have MLB service time, something you don’t deal with in Double-A.
“A pitcher in Triple-A is okay with missing off the plate and throwing the ball while trying to test me inside.” Yorke said. “Every single pitch will be in with their misses being more in. As in Double-A, if they want to throw one inside, they might do that then miss over the middle that I can hit. Here they test you in and see how committed you are to what pitches you are looking for. It is just about being stubborn to my approach to what I am looking for.”
Yorke’s offensive numbers obviously are impressive and anyone can peek at a box score and see what he does every night. The 22-year-old has committed only two errors in 45 games since his promotion splitting time between second base and left field.
“I am a golden retriever out there, I see a ball and I want to go get it.” Yorke said of his defensive game. “I want to go make plays and do everything I can to help the pitcher. I will be the first guy to lay out for a ball that is 15 feet away from me. I will be the first guy to back up on a play that has no shot of needing a back up to the third baseman. That is what I bring day in and day out. I am going to give it my all on defense and give my pitcher the best chance he has to win that day.”
Left field is a brand new position for Yorke in 2024 as he had only appeared at second base for his entire Red Sox career. He has played in 20 games between Portland and Worcester and has yet to commit an error and has recorded two outfield assists.
“I feel pretty comfortable in left field already.” Yorke added. “Growing up, I played quite a bit of center field but never played left so it has been something new. I feel like I have done a pretty good job out there. This year is the first year for Matthew Lugo to be solely in the outfield, so I have been working with him and our outfield coordinator a lot. Working with them has been great and have done a good job getting me more comfortable out there.”
Yorke shares a lineup with several other players who have been putting themselves on the radar with a potential call up this season. Each guy seems to be fueled by watching the others constantly getting on base and having a ton of success.
“If you are having bad at-bats, you will stick out because everyone here is putting up good at-bats.” Yorke said. “I am standing there watching Nick Sogard, Chase Meidroth, and Enmanuel Valdez hit in front of me and all have a .400+ on-base percentage. All of these guys are tearing the cover off the ball. You see these guys and how committed they are to their approach and how much success they are having so you don’t want to come in and be something different and get out of my approach. I want to stick to my approach and pass the baton if you are not getting strikes to hit. If you are getting strikes, you are going to hit their mistakes. That is what Chad Tracy is preaching to us, that we are taking what the pitchers are giving us.”
After hitting his first multi-homer game last week since 2021, Yorke followed that up with another multi-homer game on Wednesday at Polar Park.
“It was super sick.” Yorke said of his multi-homer games. “I had one last weekend for the first time since 2021. It was cool to do that then have another one this week. I was just talking with Niko Kavadas, who has had quite a few multi-homer games, told me they always come when you don’t expect it. You are just trying to get your hits and they just come in bunches and that’s what happened with me.”
