NickYorke and BillyCook have officially made the team out of camp for the first time in their careers. With those decisions, the position player side of the opening day roster is set.
Yorke is expected to bounce around off the bench as a utility option capable of playing all around the infield and in the outfield. He was given plenty of opportunities throughout the spring, leading the team with 44 at-bats over 17 games entering today. He hit .250 with a .670 OPS, a home run and five RBIs while walking three times and striking out four times. Yorke tied for second on the team with 11 hits and was third with eight runs scored.
Cook is a bit of a surprise considering the lack of left-side infield depth the Pirates have within their position player group. Cook can provide a bit of versatility at first base, but he's seemingly a fifth outfielder on the 26-man roster, one who will likely get limited at-bats with Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Ryan O'Hearn and JakeMangum also in that outfield mix. In the case of JhostynxonGarcia, he had a better spring, but would benefit more from regular playing time in the minor leagues than being a fourth or fifth outfielder on the major-league roster right out of the gate. Cook hit .263 with a .378 on-base percentage, two home runs and seven RBIs this spring.
THE ASYLUM
Yorke, Cook make opening day roster
Nick Yorke and Billy Cook have officially made the team out of camp for the first time in their careers. With those decisions, the position player side of the opening day roster is set.
Yorke is expected to bounce around off the bench as a utility option capable of playing all around the infield and in the outfield. He was given plenty of opportunities throughout the spring, leading the team with 44 at-bats over 17 games entering today. He hit .250 with a .670 OPS, a home run and five RBIs while walking three times and striking out four times. Yorke tied for second on the team with 11 hits and was third with eight runs scored.
Cook is a bit of a surprise considering the lack of left-side infield depth the Pirates have within their position player group. Cook can provide a bit of versatility at first base, but he's seemingly a fifth outfielder on the 26-man roster, one who will likely get limited at-bats with Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Ryan O'Hearn and Jake Mangum also in that outfield mix. In the case of Jhostynxon Garcia, he had a better spring, but would benefit more from regular playing time in the minor leagues than being a fourth or fifth outfielder on the major-league roster right out of the gate. Cook hit .263 with a .378 on-base percentage, two home runs and seven RBIs this spring.
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