This is the third in a series on high level minor league (AA/AAA) Yankee pitchers who are potential candidates for a call-up when the eventual injury or injuries result in the big league team needing an extra arm.
Miguel Yajure is another stathead crush kind of guy. He’s only 21 and finished the season at AA. I love him for a number of reasons, but mainly because of his low walk rates. The ceiling could be very high on this kid.
Yajure burst on to the prospect radar in 2018 at low A with a 7.79 strikeout per 9 and 2.09 walk per 9 season in 64.7 innings. This was good for a 3.41 xFIP (ERA with luck and park effects statistically removed).
In 2019, Yajure pitched 127.7 innings at High A with a 8.60 K/9 rate and 1.97 BB/9. His ground ball rate was 54.6%. His xFIP was only 2.88. He hit AA at the end of the season and had similar numbers.
I’m a big fan of Yajure for a lot of reasons:
He throws 4 pitches (fastball, curveball, cutter and change-up).
He is mature and is a hard worker.
He’s 6 foot 1, 175 pounds – a good size for a pitcher
I love, love, love the low walk rates.
He’s given up just 10 home runs in 291.7 innings in the minors. That’s a HR/9 rate of .31. Now that was in the minor leagues but the lowest rate among qualified starters in the majors in 2019 was .69 (Charlie Morton).
I think that Yajure starts 2020 at AA with a bump to AAA by mid-season. I am sure that he’s not #1 on Brian Cashman’s spreadsheet but I would not be surprised to see him get a call up from AA if the Yankees need him. He has the makeup that I’m guessing would convince the Yankees to take a chance on him. If there is anyone in the system who might make the jump from AA to the Major leagues, it is Miguel Yajure.
