Lost in all the hoopla of Zack Britton’s injury and Miguel Andujar’s demotion, the New York Yankees are actually promoting one of their very best pitching prospects on Thursday. They are calling up young right-handed pitcher Miguel Yajure, who will be making his major league debut whenever he gets in the field.
Yajure is 22 years old, and he hails from Venezuela. He had excellent numbers in minor league ball last year, compiling a 2.14 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, and 133/30 K/BB ratio in 138 2/3 innings (20 starts, four relief appearances) between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.
While he hasn’t pitched above Double-A yet, Yajure has some of the most electric stuff in the New York Yankees’ farm system and is highly regarded by prospect evaluators around the major leagues.
The Yankees have faith in Yajure
Yajure underwent the dreaded elbow reconstruction surgery, Tommy John, in 2017, but that is long in the rearview mirror. The 2019 season was his breakout year, as he showed a power fastball that sits in the mid-90s and could touch 96 or 97 mph if needed.
His curveball is regarded as a plus offering, and he has a good changeup and a decent cutter. His control is advanced for his year, and if he shows good command, he could be an option to stay in the Yankees’ active roster for a long time.
Yajure actually increased his velocity in the middle of the 2019 season. The New York Yankees protected him from being picked in last year’s Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster. Now, he is ready to rock.
Among the Yankees’ plethora of young arms that includes Luis Gil, Roansy Contreras, Luis Medina, Clarke Schmidt and company, he is viewed by many as the most promising long-term. Let’s see if manager Aaron Boone can give him some innings in his first major league stint.
You can see his arsenal here.