Yorke benefitting from versatility, being an 'oppo-oriented guy'
NickYorke is willing to do whatever it takes to put himself in a position to potentially earn a spot on the Pirates' opening day roster. That means playing around the infield at second base, short or third, going out to either of the corner outfield positions or even putting on a first baseman's mitt and learning the ropes of a brand new position.
Yorke has played all over the field this spring with first base being unfamiliar and new to him. It's been an adjustment, but it's a worthwhile move if it means Yorke gives himself more of an opportunity to step foot on the field.
"I think I'm a ballplayer and I'll play wherever that number says. Whatever position it is, I'm there," said Yorke, who appears to be one of several options the Pirates have in regards to players with versatility to provide depth at the big-league level. "I'm obviously having a lot of fun with it. I get to play seven positions a day, I'm not stuck to one. So, it's honestly just a lot of fun. I feel like I'm a little kid out there every day."
Yorke has started at first base three times this spring with his most recent start coming Thursday against the Orioles in Sarasota. He said he's becoming more comfortable at the position due to the every day work he's been able to put in with the help of Donny Kelly. The biggest challenge hasn't had anything to do with snagging short hops or covering the bag on routine ground balls in the infield, though. For Yorke, it's all about the glove.
"I would prefer to use the glove I use in the infield at first base. But, you can't let that happen. If I could, I would be using my infield glove over there," Yorke said with a laugh. "I would say that's the biggest (thing) is just getting used to the bigger mitt. Mendy (Lopez) and DK have been doing a really good job working with me, getting me comfortable over there with the glove and stuff. It's been a smoother transition."
Yorke sees it as advantageous for him to be playing more than one position. He noted that when he was solely playing second base in the past, he was pretty limited. Now that he's proving he's capable of playing all around the field, he's seemingly transforming into a more valuable asset.
"Someone has to go down, and the first one to go up, and being able to play all seven positions now is just hopefully giving me a better opportunity to be on a big-league team and contribute," Yorke said.
It's not all about positional flexibility, though. Yorke still has to be able to produce offensively to provide value at the major-league level. When he got his first taste of action during the final month of the 2024 season, DerekShelton saw glimpses of what he described as a "good hitter." This spring, he believes that the most important thing for Yorke's development as a hitter is his swing decisions.
"I think that's really important for young players because they want to do too much at times," Shelton said. "I think for him, it's just swinging at the right pitches."
Yorke agrees.
"Yeah, 100 percent. It's something that's a little tougher to work on in the offseason because of machine work and balls being thrown in the same spot, but that was definitely a goal of mine coming into spring," said Yorke, who told me earlier this week in Tampa that he's worked tirelessly with DanielVogelbach on determining counts and pitches he wants to take advantage of at the plate. "They were just telling me I have good hands and that I'm a good two-strike hitter who can battle off tough pitches, so don't be afraid to swing and miss going for something early in counts. Really hone in on what you're looking for. That was kind of Vogelbach's big thing to me. He was like, 'I don't care if you're chasing a little bit, but as long as you're chasing at the pitches you want to be chasing at. If you're looking out over the dish and you're chasing something a little off the dish, so be it, that's what you're looking for.' That's one-hundred percent the main goal of mine. Just keep working on it."
Yorke has always considered himself an "oppo-oriented guy," meaning he's always looking to hit the gaps in right-center field. In fact, he's done that on more than one occasion this week. On Monday against the Yankees in Tampa, he went the other way for a double on a sinker on the outer third from MaxFried. He did the same against ZachEflin of the Orioles on Thursday night before later lining out to right with the intention of replicating the same results.
"Everything to me is about splitting that right-center field gap. I got away from that in the past couple of years and that's something I wanted to focus on once I got traded over here," Yorke explained. "I did that in Indy and I did that in the big leagues at the end of the year, so I just wanted to keep sticking with my approach using the middle of the field the other way."
Yorke has raved about the guidance he's received this spring. Whether it's been Lopez and Kelly helping with his work at first base, or Vogelbach and MattHague guiding his development as a hitter, he's reaping the benefits and hoping to see his hard work translate to big-league opportunities this season.
"Coming into this season, it's just more comfortable," Yorke said. "I'm ready to go and ready to rock."
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
3:53 am - 03.04.2025Bradenton, Fla.Yorke benefitting from versatility, being an 'oppo-oriented guy'
Nick Yorke is willing to do whatever it takes to put himself in a position to potentially earn a spot on the Pirates' opening day roster. That means playing around the infield at second base, short or third, going out to either of the corner outfield positions or even putting on a first baseman's mitt and learning the ropes of a brand new position.
Yorke has played all over the field this spring with first base being unfamiliar and new to him. It's been an adjustment, but it's a worthwhile move if it means Yorke gives himself more of an opportunity to step foot on the field.
"I think I'm a ballplayer and I'll play wherever that number says. Whatever position it is, I'm there," said Yorke, who appears to be one of several options the Pirates have in regards to players with versatility to provide depth at the big-league level. "I'm obviously having a lot of fun with it. I get to play seven positions a day, I'm not stuck to one. So, it's honestly just a lot of fun. I feel like I'm a little kid out there every day."
Yorke has started at first base three times this spring with his most recent start coming Thursday against the Orioles in Sarasota. He said he's becoming more comfortable at the position due to the every day work he's been able to put in with the help of Donny Kelly. The biggest challenge hasn't had anything to do with snagging short hops or covering the bag on routine ground balls in the infield, though. For Yorke, it's all about the glove.
"I would prefer to use the glove I use in the infield at first base. But, you can't let that happen. If I could, I would be using my infield glove over there," Yorke said with a laugh. "I would say that's the biggest (thing) is just getting used to the bigger mitt. Mendy (Lopez) and DK have been doing a really good job working with me, getting me comfortable over there with the glove and stuff. It's been a smoother transition."
Yorke sees it as advantageous for him to be playing more than one position. He noted that when he was solely playing second base in the past, he was pretty limited. Now that he's proving he's capable of playing all around the field, he's seemingly transforming into a more valuable asset.
"Someone has to go down, and the first one to go up, and being able to play all seven positions now is just hopefully giving me a better opportunity to be on a big-league team and contribute," Yorke said.
It's not all about positional flexibility, though. Yorke still has to be able to produce offensively to provide value at the major-league level. When he got his first taste of action during the final month of the 2024 season, Derek Shelton saw glimpses of what he described as a "good hitter." This spring, he believes that the most important thing for Yorke's development as a hitter is his swing decisions.
"I think that's really important for young players because they want to do too much at times," Shelton said. "I think for him, it's just swinging at the right pitches."
Yorke agrees.
"Yeah, 100 percent. It's something that's a little tougher to work on in the offseason because of machine work and balls being thrown in the same spot, but that was definitely a goal of mine coming into spring," said Yorke, who told me earlier this week in Tampa that he's worked tirelessly with Daniel Vogelbach on determining counts and pitches he wants to take advantage of at the plate. "They were just telling me I have good hands and that I'm a good two-strike hitter who can battle off tough pitches, so don't be afraid to swing and miss going for something early in counts. Really hone in on what you're looking for. That was kind of Vogelbach's big thing to me. He was like, 'I don't care if you're chasing a little bit, but as long as you're chasing at the pitches you want to be chasing at. If you're looking out over the dish and you're chasing something a little off the dish, so be it, that's what you're looking for.' That's one-hundred percent the main goal of mine. Just keep working on it."
Yorke has always considered himself an "oppo-oriented guy," meaning he's always looking to hit the gaps in right-center field. In fact, he's done that on more than one occasion this week. On Monday against the Yankees in Tampa, he went the other way for a double on a sinker on the outer third from Max Fried. He did the same against Zach Eflin of the Orioles on Thursday night before later lining out to right with the intention of replicating the same results.
"Everything to me is about splitting that right-center field gap. I got away from that in the past couple of years and that's something I wanted to focus on once I got traded over here," Yorke explained. "I did that in Indy and I did that in the big leagues at the end of the year, so I just wanted to keep sticking with my approach using the middle of the field the other way."
Yorke has raved about the guidance he's received this spring. Whether it's been Lopez and Kelly helping with his work at first base, or Vogelbach and Matt Hague guiding his development as a hitter, he's reaping the benefits and hoping to see his hard work translate to big-league opportunities this season.
"Coming into this season, it's just more comfortable," Yorke said. "I'm ready to go and ready to rock."
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