The Boston Red Sox selected Nick Yorke with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
The 18-year-old second baseman defied the odds Wednesday night, though he isn’t entirely surprised himself.
Despite being ranked No. 139 among this year’s draft prospects, Yorke said he felt there was a “small percentage chance” he’d get drafted in Round 1, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Yorke said he “always felt like a first-rounder.”
“I felt like I was a first-rounder and very underrated coming into the draft,” Yorke told reporters Wednesday night during a Zoom conference call, via Speier.
That said, the youngster knows there are big shoes to fill on the Red Sox’s major league roster.
Yorke is a big admirer of veteran second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who’s been battling a nagging knee injury the last few seasons, calling the 36-year-old a “beast.” Yorke says Pedroia’s presence on the team only makes him more excited to be drafted by the Sox.
Whether he makes it to the Red Sox’s roster remains to be seen. But his positive attitude certainly is a major plus.
