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In trading Jameson Taillon, the Pittsburgh Pirates added three players ranked in the New York Yankees’ top 20 prospects and a teenager with a huge advantage.
Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras are right-handed pitchers who have been added to the Pirates’ 40-man roster, and outfielder Canaan Smith and 18-year-old infielder Maikol Escotto have shown promise as hitters.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Yajure (pronounced Yah-hoo-ray) was signed for $ 30,000 outside of Venezuela, but became No. 7 for the Yankees by Baseball America and No. 15 by MLB Pipeline. Overall, the Yankees’ farming system was ranked 22nd by MLB.com.
The 22-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 and added speed to his fastball. It has a repertoire of five lengths, with a four-stitch fastball, cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup. Yajure made his MLB debut against Tampa Bay on August 31, pitching three innings of relief, and had a 1.29 ERA with eight strikeouts in seven innings in three appearances.
“We have Yajure, obviously, probably the most advanced of the bunch and someone who’s been in the big leagues before,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “We expect him to be in the big league camp as a starter with a chance to contribute in 2021, hopefully.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Contreras, 21, of the Dominican Republic pitched in Low Class A Charleston (SC) in 2019 and led the South Atlantic League in wins (12) and WHIP (1.07) , was second at batting- average against (.215) and fifth in ERA (3.33). He was ranked No. 11 for the Yankees by Baseball America and No. 19 by MLB Pipeline.
“Although he only pitched in the low-A, I think given the performance there, given what he did last year to continue his growth, he’s now on the list, ”Cherington said. “He probably needs more development time, but he’s someone who really encourages us (and) thinks he’s got a chance to be a starting pitcher and be in the next deep wave of. pitch.”
Smith (6-0, 215), 21, was a 2017 fourth-round pick who was ranked No. 16 for the Yankees by Baseball America and No. 21 by MLB Pipeline. He led the South Atlantic League in marches (74), was second in percentage based (.405) and third in batting (.307) and OPS (.871) in 2019, and Baseball America ranked him as the system’s best hitter. for medium discipline and in strike zones.
Cherington noted that Smith has “a really advanced approach offensively. He was a very good performer. Very good quality plate follower and contact combination. We really felt like he was one of the best hitters in the South Atlantic League a few years ago, and again, he now had another year of physical growth.
Escotto played second, shortstop and third in the Dominican Summer League, where he cut .315 / .429 / .552 with 11 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 26 RBIs in 45 matches in 2019.
“We think (Escotto) has a really good combination of defensive ability and attacking potential,” Cherington said. “Performed very well, although at a low level in 2019 in DSL. Some of our Boy Scouts loved him even back when he was an amateur in the international market.
Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Kevin by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
Categories:
Pirates / MLB | Sports
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