What to look for from every top Red Sox prospect in 2022
By Daniel Fox
4: 2B Nick Yorke
What to look for: Continued production at Double-A
If Brayan Bello was the breakout pitching prospect of the Red Sox minor league system last year, Nick Yorke was the breakout hitter. The Red Sox drew a lot of criticism when they took the relatively unknown Yorke in the first round of the 2020 draft, as many believed that the Sox took him just to save money for Blaze Jordan later in the draft.
York, however, has proven to be worth the pick. In his first season in professional baseball, Yorke batted .325 between Salem and Greenville and displayed more power than scouts believed he had. Though he likely will have to move to second base from shortstop due to a below-average arm and range, he still profiles an above-average major league who can hit .300 with 20-home-run power.
The next step for Yorke is to prove that he can hit at the Double-A level. Scouts believe that the jump from Single-A to Double-A is the toughest in all of the minor leagues, and while Yorke is undoubtedly an advanced hitter for his age, he is likely to find some resistance for the first time in his professional career.
If Yorke can continue to produce in Portland, however, he will enter the conversation as one of the best hitters in all of minor league baseball.