Tyler Yates

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

1998
R:  0-0-2, 3.91 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 23 IP, 5.5 BB/9, 7.8 K/9
A-:  0-0-1, 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 2.1 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 3.9 K/9

Started off pitching in relief in rookie ball and allowed a lot of baserunners.  Somehow he kept his ERA below 4.00.

1999
A+:  2-5-4, 5.47 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 82.1 IP, 3.8 BB/9, 8.1 K/9

Struggled in the high A California League, although that’s not exactly unusual.  He pitched solely in relief except for one start.

2000
A+:  4-2-1, 2.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 56.2 IP, 3.7 BB/9, 9.7 K/9
AA:  1-1-0, 6.15 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 5.1 BB/9, 8.2 K/9

Yates split the season between the Cal League and AA.  He did much better in class A, where his K rate increased sharply.  He didn’t do well in AA, mainly due to control problems.

2001
AA:  4-6-17, 4.31 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 62.2 IP, 3.9 BB/9, 8.8 K/9
AAA:  1-0-1, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 5.1 IP, 1.7 BB/9, 5.1 K/9

Yates spent most of the season as a closer in AA, picking up 17 saves despite a mediocre ERA.  He still allowed a lot of baserunners for a guy with a power arm.  He finished the season with four outings in AAA.

2002
AAA:  2-2-6, 1.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 34 IP, 3.4 BB/9, 9.0 K/9

The A’s dealt Yates to the Mets as part of the trade for Dave Justice prior to the 2002 season.  The Mets sent Yates to AAA and he pitched very well through 24 games, striking out a batter an inning.  He season ended, however, with Tommy John surgery.

2003
A+:  1-2-0, 4.31 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 48 IP, 4.5 BB/9, 9.2 K/9
AA:  1-2-0, 4.35 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 39.1 IP, 3.9 BB/9, 8.2 K/9
AAA:  1-2-0, 4.05 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 20 IP, 4.0 BB/9, 6.8 K/9

Yates returned from the surgery and the Mets tried him as a starter.  He worked his way up through high A, AA and AAA, starting 23 games and putting up very similar numbers at each level.  He continued to walk a lot of batters, although the surgery could have played a role.

2004
AAA:  6-2-4, 3.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 39.2 IP, 5.0 BB/9, 9.8 K/9
MLB:  2-4-0, 6.36 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 46.2 IP, 4.8 BB/9, 6.8 K.9

Yates opened the season in the Mets’ rotation.  After seven starts he was 1-4, 6.34.  They then sent him back to AAA and he moved back to the bullpen.  His K rate jumped all the way to nearly ten per nine innings, but he still had control problems.

2005
Did not play

Yates missed the entire season due to rotator cuff surgery.

2006
AAA: 0-0-0, 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 3.2 BB/9, 10.8 K/9
MLB:  2-5-1, 3.96 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 50 IP, 5.6 BB/9, 8.3 K/9

After the surgery, the Mets non-tendered Yates and he signed with Baltimore, only to be released before the season started.  The Braves signed him at the beginning of May and, after a brief AAA tuneup, he moved up to Atlanta.  He pitched reasonably well in 56 outings, but he still allowed a lot of baserunners and had a very high walk rate.

2007
MLB:  2-3-2, 5.18 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 66 IP, 4.2 BB/9, 9.4 K/9

Yates had a strong first half, posting a 3.06 ERA, but got hammered in July and posted a second half ERA of 7.63.  His walk and K rates did improve.

2008
MLB:  6-3-1, 4.66 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 73.1 IP, 5.0 BB/9, 7.7 K/9

Opened as the Pirates’ primary right-handed setup reliever, but struggled until late in the season.  Yates’ control was poor throughout the first half and his strikeout total didn’t climb above his walk total until some time in July.  Because his ERA remained under 4.00 until late July, however, some fans and the team’s broadcasters seemed to think Yates was a great acquisition.  Instead, he was a classic example of how misleading relief ERAs can be.  His WHIP through the All-Star break was 1.59, but other relievers bailed him out of a number of jams.  In July and August, Yates started posting better walk and K numbers, but allowed 32 hits in 22 IP, and reality finally caught up with his ERA.  In September, however, he allowed only two runs, two walks and seven hits in 11 IP, while fanning 18.  He fanned seven of the last nine batters he faced.  Oddly, though, the Pirates blamed Yates’ poor overall season on the notion that he wore down.  This spin made little sense because his workload varied little from month to month, he pitched poorly early in the season despite a decent ERA, and his best month by a huge margin was September.  His season’s numbers showed continuing control problems and a worsening K rate.

2009
MLB:  0-2-0, 7.50 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 12 IP, 5.3 BB/9, 6.8 K/9

Yates should have been a candidate to be non-tendered during the off-season, especially considering that he was eligible for arbitration, but the Pirates continued in their firm belief that he’s a good reliever.  Despite the fact that he’d had just one good season in a four-year major league career, Yates opened 2009 as the Pirates’ top right-handed setup man.  He pitched badly until going on the disabled list with a sore elbow in late April.  Rehab didn’t go well and he underwent Tommy John surgery in July.  The Pirates waived him after season and he opted for free agency, but as expected re-signed with Pirates on a minor league deal.

2010
Did not play

Yates was in camp in March and was expected to be ready to pitch around mid-season.  He suffered a setback, though, and it pushed the recovery time beyond season’s end.

2011
Did not play

The Pirates’ strange fascination with Yates continued when they signed him to another minor league deal for 2011.  They brought him to major league camp, but he pitched poorly, which is understandable given the layoff.  He was slated to open the season in the Indianapolis bullpen, but was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon.  That wasn’t expected to keep him out all year, but it did.

Given their history, the Pirates may try again to get Yates healthy on another minor league deal.