MMO Free Agent Profile: Kirby Yates, RHP

Credits: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Kirby Yates, Relief pitcher

Bat / slow: Left and right

age: 33 (March 25, 1987)

Traditional statistics: 6 G, 4.1 IP, 12.46 ERA, 2.54 WHIP, 8 K, 4 BB, 1 HR; 16.6 K / 9, 8.3 BB / 9, 2.1 HR / 9, 52.1% LOB

Advanced statistics: 38.5% GB, 25.0% HR / FB, 5.27 FIP / 4.05 xFIP, 4.18 SIERA, 37 ERA +, -0.3 fWAR / 0.0 bWAR

run down

The Kirby Yates season in San Diego Padres ended abruptly in August, with the original MRI of the elbow inflammation revealing bone fragments and finally end-of-season surgery.The procedure was the first since Yeats received it Tommy John Surgery in 2006 – the first year after graduating from high school.

A limited-looking sample can explain the missing Statcast number, and the injury itself can certainly allow some of the ugly results from when he pitched.

However, it’s worth remembering that Yeats has begun a season with a shortened pandemic as a close quarters battle for the Padre Bullpen, which promised to be one of the best in baseball. Lighty checked in to the depth chart before a name like this: Craig Stammen, Drew Pomeranz,and Emilio PeganAnd for good reason given his achievements in 2019.

Second ranked 3.4fWAR among eligible rescuers (back only) Liam Hendriks), Yeats dominated the 1.19 ERA song, hitting 15 batters per 9 innings, walking 1.9 with the same clip.

With 41 saves leading his league, he was named the first team of All-MLB and won 2 votes in 3rd place in NL with 1.30 FIP / 2.25x FIP. Cy young Voting.

favorite Hendrix in front of himThe rise of Yeats to the top of the food chain was accompanied by a share of trial and error.Kirby, like his brother (and former Met Relief), signed with Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 as an undrafted free agent. Tyler He concluded his last tour of the Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He didn’t see majors until the 27-year-old season of 2014, and his production as a rookie (3.75 ERA in 37 games, 10.5 K / 9 to 3.8 BB / 9) allowed in his 10 20.1 innings the following year. Homer kept him on the shuttle and eventually sacrificed a spot on Raise’s roster.

The Yankees purchased a Yeats contract from Cleveland (who purchased the contract from Tampa Bay) before the 2016 season. He set his personal best at the time with innings pitched (41.1), but his 5.23 ERA made him a consumable.

The Los Angeles Angels claimed to exempt him prior to 2017 and handed him to the Padres after going out only once in April. Padres took over three years to resolve him instantly.

Yeats’ last full season surprised many in the baseball world, given that his fastball speed (57th percentile) and spin rate (61th percentile) didn’t stand out in something like Hendrix. It was. Nick Anderson, Ken Giles, Taylor Rogers, Or an totally powerful frontline rescuer.

In fact, his average fastball lost nearly 1 mph (94.5-93.7 mph) from the 2018 campaign.

It was like a further improved split-finger fastball that made the difference in Yeats in 2019. It is now 3.9 inches above the league average and 13.0 above the average, leading the league (provided by PITCHf / x).

Yeats managed to manage the ninth-lowest zone contact rate and the 21st-highest swing-and-miss rate among Major League Baseball rescuers, thus unbalanced batters and used the sequence.

The process began a year before he completely abolished change-ups in favor of splitters, with a 7.4% increase in soft contacts and a 13.9% increase in groundball rates. Despite being promoted to 9 innings, the only notable difference between 2018 and 2019 from a hitting point of view was the barrel allowed as Yeats rose from the 34th percentile to the 94th percentile. Perhaps the fans were expecting a breakout.

Contract

For the rest of the season, he was effectively put aside, but Yeats’s elbow surgery has only a 6-8 week recovery timeline. That is, pitchers and catchers report that he is definitely allowed to act on a regular basis. I haven’t started throwing with 100% effort yet.

Because of its value, Yeats was fine after the procedure. He repeated that the doctor was unaware of any other injuries to his elbow. This should alleviate any concerns executives may have about what remains in the 33-year-old tank.

Assuming his health bill is otherwise clean, Yeats leads Layer A under Hendrix, Break train, Trevor Rosenthal,and Alex Colomé For the next best multi-year contract. Being the oldest in this sample, Kirby probably won’t spend $ 9 million a year for more than two years.

A three-year deal similar to the $ 24 million agreement with the Nationals Will Harris Although it can be adapted to the bill from an AAV perspective, it would be wise for interested teams to simply adapt to club options after the second year.

Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Yeats is a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council and Alex cobb For his record four years, $ 57 million was a deal with the Baltimore Orioles three offseason. Mike Leake A five-year, $ 80 million agreement with St. Louis Cardinals in 2016.

BHSC is also Jake Diekman, Hunter pence, Salvador Perez,and Yasiel Puig..

Recommendation

Mets starting pitchers are lacking and will certainly benefit from catchers who can frame or center fields who can steal hits from the gap.

But definitely you will need another high leverage relief to make the bridge smooth Seth Lugo And Edwin Diaz..

We’ve already elaborated on why Liam Hendriks is the most promising target, but after adding a couple of starters (Steve is happy). JT Real Mute Or James McCannThe bullpen could certainly be the department where Mets writes small checks.

Logistically, Yeats on a two-year contract may be one of the safer bets out there, as long as his arms endure the challenge.The front office apparently took a bath and made a similar investment Delin Betans, And even healthier dealings with them Julis family It reflects the sunk cost. But that should not discourage the team from looking for more compelling reinforcements.

Yeats is great for supporting setup roles or serving on larger closer committees, at least at a reasonable price. Luis Rojas I will go to that route next season.

If the negotiations are too urgent, there are other options, but it seems likely that Yeats will not contribute for at least two years. The fastball and splitter combo hasn’t failed in the first two years of using it.