Miguel Yajure finds trust and comfort with the Pirates

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – To say that the 2022 season has been a roller coaster ride for Miguel Yajure, would be a bit of an understatement.

The right-hander started the year in the Pirates bullpen, but struggled. After two scoreless innings in his first outing, he worked 8.1 more frames in the majors, allowing 16 hits and 13 earned runs before being option back to Indianapolis in early May.

There are a few reasons for Yajure’s early-season struggles.

“Coming back from those injuries last year was hard,” Yajure said. “Then it was making an adjustment to the bullpen. I do feel better as a starter.“

It’s easy to see why Yajure is more comfortable as a starter, a role he currently fills in Indianapolis. Prior to the season, he had only made eight professional appearances as a reliever.

The roller coaster ride has continued in Indianapolis. The right hander has an ERA north of eight and has allowed 34 hits and 13 walks in 26.2 innings of work.

There have been positives as well. Yajure made a spot start for the Pirates on June 27th, tossing four shutout innings. He allowed seven base runners, but worked around the damage. He also tossed five innings, allowing three hits and one run, while striking out six on July 8th with Indianapolis.

“I’ve been feeling really good,” Yajure said. “The most important thing is I’ve been feeling healthy. I missed a couple of days with a back injury, a month and a half ago. Besides that, I’ve been feeling good.“

Yajure, who was acquired by the Pirates in the Jameson Taillon trade in January of 2021, was very eager to make a strong first impression last year. He appeared in four games with the Pirates. With Indianapolis, he posted a 3.09 ERA in nine starts, striking out more than eight per nine innings.

However, his success and over-eagerness to impress came at a cost. While the statistics don’t show it, Yajure is looking at this season as a success based on communication.

“Last year, I was kind of hiding my injuries because I was trying to earn their confidence,” Yajure said. “This year, I started talking with the trainers. That’s why I think we’ve been better with the injuries. I have been talking with the trainers and telling them what I feel.”

As for mechanics, he has been working on staying in line and on not doing too much. Also, to aid in upper body health, he is trying to use a little bit more of his legs.

Additionally, Yajure said that he is getting back to throwing the cutter again.

“I’m starting to feel a lot of confidence with it,” Yajure said. “It’s a pitch I used to throw a lot.“

Coming into the season, FanGraphs ranked the cutter as Yajure’s strongest offering. However, only three cutters were registered by Yajure in his big league time with the Pirates this year. All of those were thrown in April.

Yajure started working with a sinker at the end of last season, which he continued into this season. Even in his last start Saturday against Toledo, he was utilizing both the sinker and the cutter. Here is an example of a strong cutter against former top pick Spencer Torkelson.

While it’s clear that Yajure has not had his best performance in 2022, he still shows flashes like the example above. Overall, he has certainly caused some concern after a strong 2021. Working again with one of his strongest pitches and pitching fully healthy could also help to get him back on track.