Former Baltimore Orioles OF Mike Yastrzemski Rides Hot Streak

A once beloved Baltimore Orioles outfielder is finding some success with the San Francisco Giants.

For fans who closely follow the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, former O’s outfielder Mike Yastrzemski developed a bit of a cult following. With a historic bloodline and well-known last name, “Yaz” grinded his way through the Orioles farm system for six seasons without ever playing in a regular season game at the big league level.

An impressive 2018 campaign in Triple-A and a complete tear down of the major league roster at last year’s trade deadline led many to believe that Yaz would finally get his shot in 2019. Instead, Dwight Smith Jr.was added for international bonus money in early March and Joey Rickard won an outfield spot on the Opening Day roster while Yastrzemski was sent to San Francisco for minor league pitcher Tyler Herb.

As the Orioles have struggled to find consistent play from their outfield and Yaz has enjoyed success out west, some grumbling has arisen among Orioles fans on whether or not Baltimore should have sent the outfielder on his way. While Tyler Herb has had some success at the Double-A level, he has imploded in Triple-A, with his struggles stemming from more than just a juiced a baseball. But that doesn’t mean the trade was a bad idea.

The Orioles have a solid list of outfielders rising through the ranks, many of whom could make some noise at the major level in 2020, leaving Yaz with little opportunity to earn playing time.

At the end of the day, I’m glad the Orioles shipped him to San Francisco and am very happy to see him have success at the major league level, regardless of how long it continues.

Since his call-up on May 25th, Yaz is slashing .278/.325/.551 with 17 home runs, 15 doubles, and 47 runs driven in. The highlight of his season came back on August 17th when he sent three balls over the outfield fence in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He is now one home run shy of matching Buster Posey‘s record 18 home runs for a Giants rookie. His career high for any one season in the minors was 15, back in 2017 with the Bowie Baysox and Norfolk Tides.

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The 29-year-old outfielder went 0-4 against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night, snapping a five-game hit streak that saw him collect 11 hits (three three-hit games) and raise his batting average from .266 to .282. The Giants blogosphere and fan base has certainly come to love him and for good reason.

In my opinion, this is one of those cases where it doesn’t matter if the trade was worth it or not for the Baltimore Orioles. Yaz wasn’t going to get this shot with the Orioles and now here he is. Good for him. I hope he keeps grinding and has a successful run, wherever his career takes him.

The Giants will travel to Boston for a three-game set beginning on September 17th. I imagine Yaz puts in a performance similar to what he did against the Orioles earlier this season.