Pitcher can’t ignore the ‘major’ calls
Former Yankees prospect generally excited for switch
BRADENTON, Fla. — The story of how Miguel Yajure came to the Pirates involves an ignored phone call and the pitching prospect giving away a bunch of his clothes. But don’t worry: It actually could be a very good thing for one of the players Pittsburgh acquired from the Yankees for Jameson Taillon.
Yajure, a 22-year-old the Yankees signed as an international free agent in March 2015, remembers looking at his phone, seeing an anonymous number and declining the call. The righthanded pitcher later learned it came from Brian Cashman, the Yankees general manager, trying to inform one of his top prospects that he had been traded.
“Like one minute after, everyone started wishing me good luck with the Pirates and saying, ‘Welcome to the Pirates,’” Yajure explained. “It was a weird experience.”
While that one phone call may have changed the course of Yajure’s career, he joked that his most immediate concern was what to do with so much Yankees-issued gear, which he ultimately donated. But as Yajure thought more about the opportunity ahead, he also grew excited, knowing things would be drastically different here.
Pitching in the Yankees organization was great, Yajure said. There was plenty of attention paid to his performance and expectations placed on his development. At the same time, Yajure said he tried his best to block it out and focus on developing as a pitcher.
After watching Yajure, it’s clear the Pirates got a talented young arm with several quality offerings. More than that, though, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, a sneaky sense of humor and an understanding that there’s still plenty of work to be done.
“I’m a person who takes pride in working hard for what I accomplish,” Yajure said. “I believe that once I allow that [attention] to get into my head, I’m going to lose my focus. I want to remain hungry.
“But I did hear those things. I just tried to not pay too much attention to it. Instead, I just tried to remain focused on my work and remain humble so that everything can be felt like it was earned and not just given.”
So, what are the Pirates getting in Yajure?
He enters the 2021 season ranked as the Pirates’ 14th-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Yajure, who said he would like to remain a starter, has gone 11-12 in the minors with a 2.57 ERA in 54 starts. He’s 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA in seven relief appearances.
The 2019 season was a good one for Yajure, who led all of minor league baseball (minimum 125 innings) with a 2.14 ERA while striking out 133 in 24 games (20 starts) at Class A and Class AA.
This past season, Yajure impressed enough to make his MLB debut with the Yankees on Aug. 31 and pitched to a 1.29 ERA in seven innings across three appearances out of the bullpen.
The entire experience was instructive for the 6-foot-1, 220pound Yajure, who said he has learned to pace himself and try to slow the game down as much as possible.
“Something that I learned from last year was take my time,” said Yajure, who was considered the Yankees’ seventhbest prospect by Baseball America following the 2020 season. “Try to just go there and attack hitters without rush, without thinking too much.”
Pitch-wise, Yajure’s four-seam fastball averaged 92.4 mph during his major league appearances, while he also showed comfortability with his changeup, which he threw second-most among his pitches — 26.6% of the time.
Yajure’s curveball, however, is what inspires confidence in the young pitcher, with the native of Cabimas, Venezuela, throwing it 21% of the time and liming opposing hitters to a .200 slugging percentage.
“Right now, I feel like I have a lot of control with my curveball,” Yajure said. “I throw it every bullpen, every game with confidence.”
In bullpen sessions, Yajure said he’s also been working with pitching coach Oscar Marin on staying back during his delivery and driving more with his body. It’s natural for young pitchers to
feel like they almost have to jump toward home plate while throwing.
There’s an outside chance Yajure could make the Pirates rotation, although a more likely starting point for him in 2021 will be Class AAA Indianapolis, where he can complete his development and challenge for major league time as a starter.
Off the mound, Yajure comes across as likable and honest — not cocky but still confident in his abilities. During one particularly interesting part of his Zoom call, when many players might
downplay this sort of thing, Yajure was rather open about his goals, both big and small.
“The hard ones are try to make the All-Star team or [be] rookie of the year,” Yajure said. “The little ones are just be healthy, throw all the season in the big leagues, 200 innings, something like that.”
Once that happens, Yajure and the Pirates surely hope there will be no more calls from anonymous numbers.