Kirby Yates has found success in 2024, but it hasn’t always been this way. Injuries have led him to have one of the more interesting careers.
CP Kirby Yates officially achieved 10 years of service time in MLB in August 2024, a feat which fewer than 10% of major league players in baseball history have been able to do. He has done this while logging 405 innings as a back-end relief pitcher for seven different teams. Yates career has seen its fair share of ups and downs, with him seeing the most success he has had now in his age-37 season. He is coming off his second career All-Star Game appearance and is closing out games for the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers.
A rough start
CP Kirby Yates was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 26th round out of Kauai High School back in 2005. He ultimately decided to not sign and instead attend Yavapai College. This didn’t go as planned for the right hander, as he would have to undergo Tommy John Surgery and miss the 2006 and 2007 seasons. After going undrafted in 2009, the Tampa Bay Rays signed him after the draft, which gave Yates his first chance with a big league organization.
The Hawaiian-born Yates was called up by the Rays in 2014. Working primarily as a middle reliever, he had success in his rookie season, pitching to a 3.75 ERA in 36 innings with 42 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the next three seasons saw Kirby play for four different teams including the Rays, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels. In that time, he pitched to a 6.13 ERA and found himself designated for assignment by LA after just one game in 2017.
San Diego Star
Three days after being DFA’d, he Stan Diego Padres claimed Kirby Yates for a tenure that would last until 2020. During his first season in SD, Kirby found success in another middle innings role, having a 3.72 ERA and developing a splitter to add to his arsenal. That pitch, along with an improved fastball, helped Yates become one of the premier closers in baseball.
In 2018 and 2019, he sported a combined 1.67 ERA, with 53 saves and 191 strikeouts in 123 innings of work across those two seasons. The star closer finally made his first All-Star Game in 2019 and led the league in saves that same year. He even finished 9th in Cy Young voting. The splitter had an astronomical pitch value of 13.0 and had the second highest splitter usage rate in the league. His elite pitch, along with a mid-90’s fastball, was a big reason for this newly found success.
Unfortunate Setbacks
Heading into the 2020 pandemic season, the star closer seemed poised to help the contending Padres make a deep playoff run, but Yates could only contribute for six games. He went on the injured list for right elbow inflammation, ending his pandemic-shortened season, and began his first foray into free agency.
In January of 2021, Kirby signed a one-year contract with a new look Toronto Blue Jays team to be the closer for a weak bullpen. Although failing his physical after signing with the team, the Jays still went through with the contract, hoping his arm would hold out. Only two appearances into Spring Training would be all of Yates’s tenure with the club, as he learned he needed his second career Tommy John surgery. That ended his 2021 season, and he also missed most of 2022.
Amazing Recovery
The Atlanta Braves decided to sign Yates to a two-year deal, giving him the first year to recover from TJ and come back later in the year, and the second year to contribute to the team. The decision paid off for both sides as Yates pitched 60 innings in 2023 with a 3.28 ERA, with 80 K’s and only allowing 35 hits. The right hander mainly appeared in low-leverage roles but nonetheless was a major contributor in the bullpen.
That season earned Yates a one-year contract with the Rangers for 2024. He started off as a setup man but eventually earned himself the closer job early in the season. Kirby has been nothing short of dominant this season, posting a 1.29 ERA in 55.1 innings while striking out 79 batters and allowing only 22 hits. He represented the Rangers in the All-Star Game for just the second time in his career, while also earning his 10 years of service time. Despite a disappointing season for Texas, Yates has been at his best.
Kirby Yates is almost guaranteed another contract with a contending team next year. Yates, despite his advanced age, looks like he isn’t slowing down one bit. It will be interesting to see if the two-time All-Star can keep pitching at this pace and keep adding onto what has been a very impressive career.
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