The Boston Red Sox minor league system has produced some impressive young talent over the last half-decade, with former top prospects Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Payton Tolle all expected to be key contributors for the Red Sox over the final weeks of the regular season.
Taking into consideration that Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell will also return to the Major League club at some point next season, the Red Sox’s talented young core looks the part of a group capable of carrying the team into a decade of competitive baseball.
With the Red Sox recently churning out a handful of developmental success stories in recent years, the team has not been shy about dealing away some of its surplus prospects to complete trades that have brought back impact talent.
That was certainly the case last summer when the Red Sox dealt former first-round draft pick Nick Yorke to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitching prospect Quinn Priester. While Priester was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season and has thrived as a member of Milwaukee’s starting rotation, Yorke had spent his entire season with Triple-A Indianapolis before being recalled to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The former Red Sox infield prospect made his big league debut with Pittsburgh last season, hitting .216 with eight hits and two home runs across 11 games. Yorke was hitting .287 with seven home runs and 59 RBI’s with an OPS of .754 in 401 at-bats before his promotion.
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The Pirates are currently 23.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. The 23-year-old could earn some playing time while the Pirates’ front office evaluates young players they believe could contribute to the Major League club next season.