This day was always coming. At the time of their acquisitions at the trade deadline in 2024, Nick Yorke and Billy Cook were among the top prospects with the Red Sox and Orioles, respectively. The Pirates have a history of shaking up the position players on the Opening Day roster. It stands to reason that the pair would eventually earn a roster spot to start the season.
That doesn’t make the achievement any less sweet.
In spite of their status as former top prospects, Yorke and Cook each had to make adjustments to finally get the Opening Day nod. Yorke adapted his plate approach to drastically cut down on strikeouts. The former first-rounder consistently struck out at roughly a 20% clip across all levels, but this spring training, he cut his K rate to 9.3%. That drastic of a change likely isn’t sustainable when he faces big-league pitching every day, but it was enough to lock up his roster spot for now.
Yorke also demonstrated flexibility and a willingness to help out the team by spending some time at third base this spring. He has typically taken the field at second base and has just 27 innings at the hot corner since turning pro at the age of 19. Still, Yorke lined up alongside Jared Triolo to get some work in at third base, reducing some of the anxiety about the Pirates’ thin depth at the position.
Persistence and adaptability finally paid off as Nick Yorke and Billy Cook made the Pirates’ Opening Day roster
Cook, meanwhile, is working back to full health after a left wrist injury limited him to 97 games, just three of which came with Pittsburgh, in 2025. I’d say the wrist is feeling just fine as the outfielder has posted a .455 slugging percentage this spring.
It’s not Cook’s power that will be most helpful for the Pirates, though. It’s his defense. Pittsburgh sacrificed defensive prowess in order to upgrade at the plate. Bryan Reynolds has become a defensive liability, and Ryan O’Hearn is much stronger defensively at first than in the outfield. In a tight game, Cook’s speed and cannon of an arm could be the difference between an out and a run.
With all the focus on Konnor Griffin this spring, Yorke, Cook, and others might be overlooked. Their underdog stories, though, are every bit as compelling as the superstar on the rise.