Miguel Angel Yajure (born May 1, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

organization. Yajure signed with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2015. He made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2020, and became the first major-league player to wear number 89, MLB's last unused

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. He was traded to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

before the 2021 season.

Career

New York Yankees

Yajure signed with the

as an international

in March 2015, receiving $30,000. He made his professional debut that season at 17 years of age with the

Dominican Summer League Yankees The Dominican Summer Yankees are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica South division and is affiliated with the New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional b ...

, and was 0-2 with a 1.42 ERA with an 0.926

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

in 57 innings in 14 starts. He played in 2016 with the

Gulf Coast Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball e ...

, and was 1-2 with a 2.87

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in 31.1 innings over nine games (six starts). He missed 2017 after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

. Yajure returned in 2018 and pitched with the Class A

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Hi ...

, for whom he was 4-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 64.2 innings over 14 starts. Yajure started 2019 with the Class A

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is ...

before being promoted for two starts to the Class AA

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...

. Between the two teams, he was 9-6 with a 2.14 ERA (leading all of minor league baseball, minimum 125 innings) in 138.2 innings covering 24 games (20 starts), in which he had 133 strikeouts (2nd among Yankee minor league pitchers). He was 2nd in the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

with 122 strikeouts, 8th in wins, and walked 2.0 batters per 9 innings. After the 2019 season, he was named a 2019 Florida State League Postseason All-Star. After the season, ''Baseball America'' ranked him 11th among Yankees minor leaguers, and as having the best control among all Yankee minor league pitchers. The Yankees placed Yajure on their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

in November 2019 to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Yajure made his major league debut in relief on August 31, 2020, against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. He pitched three shutout innings, with two strikeouts and three walks. He wore number 89, MLB's last unused

. In three relief appearances with New York in 2020, Yajure compiled a 1.29 ERA while striking out eight batters in seven innings, limited Major League batters to a .130 average.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 24, 2021, the Yankees traded Yajure,

Roansy Contreras Roansy Contreras (born November 7, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Career New York Yankees Contreras signed with the Yankees as an inte ...

, Maikol Escotto, and

Canaan Smith-Njigba Canaan Elijah Smith-Njigba (born April 30, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Amateur career Smith-Njigba attended Rockwall-Heath High S ...

to the

for pitcher

Jameson Taillon Jameson Lee Taillon ( ; born November 18, 1991) is a Canadian-American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees. The Pirat ...

. On June 24, Yajure was placed on the 60-day injured list with right forearm/elbow soreness. He made four appearances (three starts) for the Pirates during 2021, pitching to an 8.40 ERA and striking out 11 batters in 15 innings. He also appeared in nine games for the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

, compiling a 3.09 ERA and 2–3 record in 43.2 innings over nine starts. During 2022, Yajure split time between Indianapolis, pitching primarily as a starter and going 4-4 with a 6.09 ERA in 54.2 innings over 16 games (14 starts), and Pittsburgh, pitching primarily as a reliever and going 1-1 with an 8.88 ERA in 24.1 innings over 12 games (one start). In the minors leagues through 2022 he averaged 8.2 hits, 0.5 home runs, 2.4 walks, and 7.9 strikeouts per 9 innings. He is noted for his control. He has four pitches which include a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

that occasionally reached 97 mph by 2020, a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, a cutter, and a good

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

San Francisco Giants

On December 2, 2022, Yajure was claimed off waivers by the

. On December 13, 2022, Yajure was outrighted to the minors.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yajure, Miguel 1998 births Living people Charleston RiverDogs players Dominican Summer League Yankees players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Gulf Coast Yankees players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela New York Yankees players Pittsburgh Pirates players People from Cabimas Tampa Tarpons players Trenton Thunder players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Indianapolis Indians players Bradenton Marauders players