Rookie Nick Yorke a ‘Ballplayer to the Bone’
‘The 2025 season hasn’t gone the way Nick Yorke envisioned.
Yorke thought he had a chance of making the Pittsburgh Pirates’ opening day roster when spring training began in February. Yorke spent the last two weeks of last season with the Pirates and seemingly made a good impression in 11 games.
Instead, Yorke returned to Triple-A to begin this season and didn’t get called up to the big leagues until Sept. 2.
Yorke didn’t help himself by getting off to a slow start, hitting .214 with one homer in his 19 games through the end of April. Yorke admitted he was trying too hard to show he should be in the major leagues.
“I just probably was pressing a little bit early in the year,” Yorke said. “It’s baseball. You can’t perform the way you want every single day. So, I was just struggling a little bit, but I was just working with (Indianapolis hitting coach) Eric Munson every day and leaning on my teammates (for support).
“I just started swinging at the right pitches, making good contact, just getting back to playing complete baseball, and took off after that.”
The 23-year-old Yorke wound up hitting .287/.346/.408 with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases in 103 games.
The Pirates are last in MLB in runs scored and have needed an offensive boost all season. Though Yorke was an option, they strangely left him in Triple-A for five months.
Yorke never complained, though, and that impresses Pirates manager Don Kelly.
“Something that I learned through my career, and it’s hard to go through, is that I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” Kelly said. “How you work through that, and how you learn something about yourself. Hopefully, that pays dividends in the long term.
“This game is so hard. It’s not like you’re never going to be in a spot where you’re struggling a little bit. You’re going to have slumps. You’re going to have times where you’re not feeling your best. How do you lean into those moments that you’ve learned from in the past to continue to work and continue to grind to get better?”
Yorke continued to grind in Indianapolis, and now he is with the Pirates, with another chance to make a good impression on management for next season.
Last season, Yorke hit .216/.286/.378 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 60 plate appearances.
Yorke has received a longer look this season. He has played 19 games and had 63 plate appearances while batting .217/.254/.317 with one homer and one steal.
“I’m definitely a little more comfortable coming into this clubhouse system than when I was here the last time, so it’s been a lot of fun to see, a lot of familiar faces and get back into it at the major league level,” Yorke said.
Yorke has also demonstrated versatility during his 30-game MLB career, a quality the Pirates emphasize. He has made 18 starts at second base, four each as a first baseman and right fielder, and one apiece at third base and in right field.
“I’m a ballplayer down to the bone, so if whatever the coach needs, whatever the manager needs me to play, I’ll play,” Yorke said. “If they want me to catch, I’ll get the catcher’s gear.”
A ballplayer down to the bone. How can’t you love that?
Of course, Yorke is the same guy who told me last September that baseball runs his life.
In an era where many players seem to enjoy baseball less, this attitude is refreshing.
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