Boston Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke has made his way back to MLB's top 100 prospect's list
The Boston Red Sox selecting Nick Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft was surprising. However, the high school prospect didn't waste much time making the draft room look smart.
In his first season in the system (2021), the right-handed hitting second baseman slashed .325/.412/.516 with 20 doubles, five triples, and 14 home runs between Single-A and High-A. Yorke drove in 62 runs, scored 76 more, and stole 13 bases in 97 games. In 442 plate appearances, he had 52 walks (11.8%) and 69 strikeouts (15.6%).
The impressive debut got Yorke onto MLB's top 100 prospect list.
However, Yorke struggled in 2022. Injuries derailed his season, with Yorke only managing 80 games for the High-A Greenville Drive. And plenty of his playing time that season wore the effects of those injuries. Yorke slashed .231/.303/.365 with a walk rate of 8.8% and a strikeout rate of 25.2%.
Anyone that watched Yorke in 2022 wasn't too worried. It was clearly a season destroyed by injury, and a bounceback was on the horizon.
However, it wasn't shocking for him to fall out of the top 100 list. The list saw fresh faces, so they wouldn't keep someone on there after such a tough season. Yorke's path back to the list was also clear, though. He had to prove that the 2022 season wasn't really him.
2023 started off with the somewhat surprising news that Yorke would start the year in Double-A. However, the 21-year-old was ready for the challenge.
On Friday, June 23, MLB's top 100 list got a new (old) name, with Yorke re-entering the rankings. He did so due to a slash line of .288/.382/.485 with 12 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. Yorke's driven in 33 runs, scored 46 more and stolen six bases.
Most importantly, in 267 plate appearances, he's struck out 62 times (23.2%) and walked 32 (12%). The K rate has dropped slightly, and the walk rate is actually the best of his career.
Yorke joins fellow Red Sox prospects Ceddanne Rafaela (79), Miguel Bleis (70), and Marcelo Mayer (4) on MLB's top 100 list.
Nick Yorke has an incredible hit tool. He's constantly hitting the ball hard and has shown some decent power. While not overly fast, he's athletic and can move a bit on the basepaths.
Meanwhile, his defense has always been underrated. In the first 14 games (122 innings) of his professional career at second base, Yorke committed eight errors. He's committed six errors in 1,642 innings at second base since then.
Yorke is looking like the total package at second base for the Boston Red Sox once again. And he's being rewarded with some recognition. Baseball America put Yorke back in their rankings at number 87, and now he's number 100 in the MLB rankings.
If you weren't sure, Nick Yorke is the real deal. Everyone is noticing it once again, so join the party.