{"id":30887,"date":"2025-03-06T03:11:41","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T03:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30887"},"modified":"2025-03-06T03:11:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T03:11:41","slug":"brutal-honesty-ex-red-sox-prospect-opens-up-on-2024-trade-departure-it-doesnt-feel-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30887","title":{"rendered":"BRUTAL HONESTY: Ex-Red Sox Prospect Opens Up on 2024 Trade Departure\u2014\u2018It Doesn\u2019t Feel Great\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Will this former first-round pick make Boston pay for giving up on him?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sep 28, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Yorke (38) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images \/ Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Major League Baseball can be a cruel business. One former top Boston Red Sox prospect learned that the hard way last summer.<\/p>\n

With their first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Red Sox surprised some by taking California high school infielder Nick Yorke. They signed Yorke to an under-slot bonus value of $2.7 million, enabling them to sign other prospects they might not have had the budget for otherwise.<\/p>\n

Yorke gradually progressed through the minor leagues but was playing his best baseball in the Boston organization in 2024, excelling after his early-season promotion to Triple-A. Rather than giving him a shot at the big leagues, however, the Red Sox capitalized on his increased value.<\/p>\n

In July, the Red Sox traded Yorke to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester, who is a candidate to join the Boston starting rotation due to injuries to Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford. Yorke made his MLB debut with Pittsburgh in September and appeared in 11 games.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Red Sox faced the Pirates in spring training, and Yorke still seemed a bit hurt by his former organization’s decision to dump him. Simultaneously, he seems to be using the trade snub as motivation to succeed in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t want me, and they wanted me over here, so I\u2019m going to make the best of the opportunity over here,\u201d Yorke said Tuesday,\u00a0per Alex Speier\u00a0of the Boston Globe. \u201cI could honestly care less what\u2019s going on over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was playing my best baseball and then to make it to the last level with an org and then get traded, it doesn\u2019t feel great. But at the same time, the guys over here wanted me, and my goal was just to make (general manager Ben Cherington) make that the best trade he\u2019s ever done in his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yorke, 22, slashed .216\/.286\/.378 with two home runs during his September call-up. He had an .898 OPS in 38 games with Triple-A Worcester last season before the trade, and continued that momentum with a .938 OPS in 40 games with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

If there’s any team that could use a breakout season from a young hitter, it’s the Pirates. And due to the balanced schedule, the Red Sox now see Pittsburgh for three games every season. It would be a surprise if those three games aren’t already circled on Yorke’s calendar for 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will this former first-round pick make Boston pay for giving up on him? Sep 28, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Yorke (38)… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nBRUTAL HONESTY: Ex-Red Sox Prospect Opens Up on 2024 Trade Departure\u2014\u2018It Doesn\u2019t Feel Great\u2019 - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30887\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BRUTAL HONESTY: Ex-Red Sox Prospect Opens Up on 2024 Trade Departure\u2014\u2018It Doesn\u2019t Feel Great\u2019 - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Will this former first-round pick make Boston pay for giving up on him? 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