Nick Yorke is off to a hot start in the Arizona Fall League

For Nick Yorke, the 2022 season did not go as planned. The former first-round pick battled injuries and struggled when healthy. For the first time in his professional career, the California native hit below .300. However, in the Arizona Fall League, he has started to put a disappointing season in the rearview mirror.

Through his first seven games in Scottsdale, Yorke is hitting .308 with three extra-base hits. In that span, he has five runs batted in and five walks. He has looked more like the prospect who was a hitting machine during the 2021 campaign.

Additionally, he has been solid in the field and only committed one error in 54 innings. The twenty-year-old has added five double plays to his resume and recorded eight putouts. While it is a small sample size, Yorke seems to be returning to form. That is a welcoming sign for the Red Sox, who expect him to be a crucial part of the future.

After his strikeout totals rose during the 2022 campaign, the former 17th overall pick has shown better plate discipline in the AFL. Through 34 plate appearances, he has only struck out five times. Yorke also has a .411 on-base percentage, over 100 points higher than his final total in Greenville.

As the Arizona Fall League continues, Yorke will be a player to keep an eye on. His focus at the moment is to put together good at-bats and get on base.

“I’m just trying to put the ball in play as much as I can,” Yorke said of his mindset from the top of the order. “Good things happen when you put it into play.”

Despite finishing the season in Greenville with a .232 average and 94 strikeouts, Yorke has been an on-base machine for the Scottsdale Scorpions. He has yet to hit a home run, but he has been making solid contact. Over the last two weeks, the Archbishop Mitty High School product is providing a reminder of why the Red Sox hold him in high regard.