The Boston Red Sox's Grapefruit League clash against the Pittsburgh Pirates had a little extra fanfare Thursday afternoon.
Boston announced early in the day that No. 6 prospect Nick Yorke would be making his Grapefruit League debut with the club and start at second base and he certainly didn't disappoint.
The 20-year-old was solid at the plate finishing the day 1-for-3 before being subbed out but was even more impressive defensively. The young infielder shined and made one of the best defensive plays in all of spring training in the third inning of Thursday's contest.
Pittsburgh slugger Carlos Santana stepped up to the plate with a runner on first base and popped up to shallow right field and Yorke somehow was able to not only get to the ball and make an eye-popping diving play but also threw out the runner at first base to complete the unusual double play.
While Yorke likely is a few years away from big league consideration, his Grapefruit League on Thursday was exciting nonetheless. Boston drafted Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft and he has skyrocketed up the team's prospect rankings.
Yorke played for the High-A Greenville Drive in 2022 and somewhat struggled slashing .232/.303/.365 to go along with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs, but appeared in just 80 games. He immediately rebounded in the 2022 Arizona Fall League and slashed .342/.424/.526 to go along with two home runs, eight doubles, and 18 RBIs in 19 games.
He has shown so far throughout his time in the minors that he is very solid defensively and has potential offensively as well. Yorke likely will see time with the Double-
A Portland Sea Dogs in 2023 and if he continues to develop, could see even higher growth this season or in 2024.
Yorke may not be at Fenway Park in 2023 but don't be surprised if we see him there in the next few years.
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