Biographical

Portrait of Kirby Yates

Kirby Yates PBlue Jays

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 32)
IP ERA WHIP SO W L SV WARP
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Birth Date3-25-1987
Height5' 10"
Weight205 lbs
Age37 years, 11 months, 6 days
BatsL
ThrowsR
-0.52015
0.42016
1.22017
2.22018
0.72019
proj
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA- WARP
2014 TBA MLB 37 0 36.0 0 2 1 33 15 42 4 95 8.3 3.8 1.0 10.5 0% .315 1.33 3.77 3.75 98 2.93 71.9 0.7
2015 TBA MLB 20 0 20.3 1 0 0 23 7 21 10 106 10.2 3.1 4.4 9.3 0% .245 1.48 8.61 7.97 130 6.69 156.4 -0.5
2016 NYA MLB 41 0 41.3 2 1 0 41 19 50 5 112 8.9 4.1 1.1 10.9 44% .340 1.45 3.92 5.23 96 4.07 90.1 0.4
2017 ANA 0 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 18.0 0.0 18.0 9.0 0% .000 2.00 27.14 18.00 108 9.07 193.0 0.0
2017 SDN 0 61 0 55.7 4 5 1 42 19 87 10 6.8 3.1 1.6 14.1 31% .296 1.10 3.51 3.72 82 3.10 66.0 1.3
2018 SDN MLB 65 0 63.0 5 3 12 41 17 90 6 99 5.9 2.4 0.9 12.9 43% .263 0.92 2.50 2.14 60 1.92 42.8 2.2
2019 SDN MLB 60 0 60.7 0 5 41 41 13 101 2 96 6.1 1.9 0.3 15.0 48% .325 0.89 1.25 1.19 48 2.03 41.7 2.2
2017 TOT MLB 62 0 56.7 4 5 1 44 19 88 12 7.0 3.0 1.9 14.0 30% .291 1.11 3.93 3.97 83 3.21 68.3 1.2
CareerMLB2850278.01216552239039239807.22.91.312.740%.3051.133.343.40793.0166.96.2

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA-
2009 PRI Rk APL 14 0 26.3 0 1 4 22 8 49 0 98 7.5 2.7 0.0 16.8 0% .449 1.14 1.43 2.40 55 3.21 67.5
2010 BGR A MDW 27 12 90.0 3 6 5 73 41 97 9 102 7.3 4.1 0.9 9.7 0% .282 1.27 4.28 3.30 0 0.00 0.0
2010 PCH A+ FSL 1 1 5.3 0 0 0 7 2 3 0 95 11.9 3.4 0.0 5.1 0% .438 1.70 3.43 5.09 0 0.00 0.0
2011 PCH A+ FSL 16 0 33.3 2 0 2 14 22 45 0 3.8 5.9 0.0 12.2 0% .215 1.08 3.10 1.62 100 3.29 67.2
2011 RAY Rk GCL 4 4 6.7 0 1 0 6 2 3 0 88 8.1 2.7 0.0 4.1 0% .261 1.20 3.85 2.70 108 4.85 99.1
2012 MNT AA SOU 50 0 68.0 4 2 16 48 39 94 4 6.4 5.2 0.5 12.4 0% .299 1.28 2.90 2.65 80 3.37 70.2
2012 PDD Wnt AFL 10 0 11.0 0 0 2 7 5 12 2 5.7 4.1 1.6 9.8 0% .185 1.09 5.47 2.45 0 0.00 0.0
2013 DUR AAA INT 51 0 61.7 3 2 20 38 23 93 2 5.5 3.4 0.3 13.6 0% .286 0.99 1.96 1.90 62 2.03 44.1
2014 TBA MLB AL 37 0 36.0 0 2 1 33 15 42 4 95 8.3 3.8 1.0 10.5 0% .315 1.33 3.77 3.75 98 2.93 71.9
2014 DUR AAA INT 21 0 25.0 1 0 16 10 9 35 0 3.6 3.2 0.0 12.6 0% .192 0.76 1.74 0.36 60 1.72 36.5
2015 TBA MLB AL 20 0 20.3 1 0 0 23 7 21 10 106 10.2 3.1 4.4 9.3 0% .245 1.48 8.61 7.97 130 6.69 156.4
2015 PCH A+ FSL 2 1 2.0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 90 9.0 4.5 0.0 9.0 0% .286 1.50 2.66 9.00 95 3.59 78.7
2015 DUR AAA INT 23 0 25.3 1 2 6 27 12 34 5 9.6 4.3 1.8 12.1 0% .344 1.54 4.69 5.33 99 5.48 120.1
2016 NYA MLB AL 41 0 41.3 2 1 0 41 19 50 5 112 8.9 4.1 1.1 10.9 44% .340 1.45 3.92 5.23 96 4.07 90.1
2016 SWB AAA INT 14 0 16.7 0 1 4 12 6 19 0 6.5 3.2 0.0 10.3 47% .279 1.08 2.15 1.62 80 3.19 70.4
2017 ANA MLB AL 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 18.0 0.0 18.0 9.0 0% .000 2.00 27.14 18.00 108 9.07 193.0
2017 SDN MLB NL 61 0 55.7 4 5 1 42 19 87 10 6.8 3.1 1.6 14.1 31% .296 1.10 3.51 3.72 82 3.10 66.0
2017 SLC AAA PCL 6 0 7.0 0 0 1 8 3 14 0 10.3 3.9 0.0 18.0 60% .533 1.57 1.43 2.57 52 2.07 44.0
2018 SDN MLB NL 65 0 63.0 5 3 12 41 17 90 6 99 5.9 2.4 0.9 12.9 43% .263 0.92 2.50 2.14 60 1.92 42.8
2019 SDN MLB NL 60 0 60.7 0 5 41 41 13 101 2 96 6.1 1.9 0.3 15.0 48% .325 0.89 1.25 1.19 48 2.03 41.7

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2014 677 0.5007 0.4372 0.7703 0.5959 0.2781 0.8119 0.6809 0.2297
2015 408 0.5000 0.4583 0.7701 0.6422 0.2745 0.8550 0.5714 0.2299
2016 796 0.4510 0.4560 0.7273 0.6518 0.2952 0.7607 0.6667 0.2727
2017 965 0.4902 0.5088 0.6354 0.6765 0.3476 0.7500 0.4211 0.3646
2018 1008 0.4325 0.5337 0.6506 0.6927 0.4126 0.7252 0.5551 0.3494
2019 1020 0.4529 0.4922 0.6534 0.6753 0.3405 0.7276 0.5316 0.3466
Career48740.46630.48770.68730.66150.33520.75930.56070.3127

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2011-04-05 2011-07-04 Minors 90 0 Not Disclosed -
2010-08-20 2010-09-14 Minors 25 0 Not Disclosed -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2024 ATL $4,500,000
2023 ATL $6,000,000
2022 ATL $1,000,000
2021 TOR $5,500,000
2020 SDN $7,062,500
2019 SDN $3,062,500
2018 SDN $1,062,500
2017 SDN $
2016 NYA $511,900
2015 TBA $512,800
YearsDescriptionSalary
9 yrPrevious$29,212,200
9 yrTotal$29,212,200

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
9 y 21 dBeverly Hills Sports1 year/$4.5M (2024)

Details
  • 1 year/$4.5M (2024). Signed by Texas as a free agent 12/5/23.
  • 2 years/$8.25M (2022-23), plus 2024 club option. Signed by Atlanta as a free agent 11/29/21. 22:$1M, 23:$6M, 24:$5.75M club option ($1.25M buyout). Atlanta declined 2024 option 11/6/23.
  • 1 year/$5.5M (2021). Signed by Toronto as a free agent 1/20/21. Performance bonuses based on relief appearances: $50,000 each for 20, 25, 30, 35 games. $125,000 each for 40, 45, 50 games. $250,000 each for 55, 60, 65 games. $375,000 for 70 games.
  • 1 year/$7.0625M (2020). Re-signed by San Diego 1/10/20 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$3.0625M (2019). Re-signed by San Diego 1/11/19 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$1.0625M (2018). Re-signed by San Diego 1/12/18 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year (2017). Re-signed by LA Angels 3/17. Sent outright to Triple-A by LA Angels 4/5/17. Contract selected by LA Angels 4/22/17. Claimed by San Diego off waivers 4/26/17 after being DFA by LA Angels 4/23/17.
  • 1 year/$511,900 (2016). Acquired by NY Yankees in trade 1/8/16 after being DFA by Cleveland 1/5/16. Signed by NY Yankees 3/16. Claimed by LA Angels off waivers from NY Yankees 10/5/16.
  • 1 year/$512,800 (2015). Re-signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent 3/8/15. Acquired by Cleveland in trade 11/25/15 after being DFA by Tampa Bay 11/20/15.
  • 1 year (2014). Contract selected by Tampa Bay 11/20/13. Re-signed by Tampa Bay 3/2/14.
  • Signed by Tampa Bay 6/19/09 as an amateur free agent (Yavapai JC, Ariz.).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
90o 0 0 0 0 0 14.5 10 5 19 1 .255 0.99 2.07 2.33 0.0 0.0
80o 0 0 0 0 0 9.4 7 3 12 1 .270 1.07 2.41 2.72 0.0 0.0
70o 0 0 0 0 0 5.9 4 2 8 1 .281 1.13 2.66 3.01 0.0 0.0
60o 0 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 1 4 0 .291 1.19 2.89 3.27 0.0 0.0
50o 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0 0 0 0 .300 1.24 3.09 3.51 0.0 0.0
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

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BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2020-09-02 13:00:00 (link to chat)Hi Jesse! Love the rankings! I was wondering who the biggest risers and fallers where? Also is Luis Robert keeps this up for the rest of the season how high do you think he could rank?
(Alex from Texas)
I will list the risers/fallers in my upcoming article, but here is a sneak peak:

Risers: Kyle Lewis (+214), Anthony Santander (+170), Corbin Burnes (+135), Dominic Smith (+135)
Fallers: Kirby Yates (-260), Oscar Mercada (-250), Mallex Smith (-150), Tommy Pham (-125)

Plus, several players jumped from off to way up the rankings including Triston McKenzie (319) and Jake Cronenworth (354).

As for Robert, he could climb into the top 15 by season end if he continues to rake. (Jesse Roche)
2020-09-02 13:00:00 (link to chat)Are there any pending FAs whose value could vary significantly based on their destination?
(Jake from NY)
Trevor Bauer (1-year deal man himself). GABP is a difficult place to pitch so he could end up in a better situation or, well, Colorado.

DJ LeMahieu may regress a bit outside of NY.

Joc Pederson could finally receive everyday ABs (probably not, though)

Closers like Kirby Yates, Liam Hendriks, Ken Giles, and Alex Colome may end up on a team in which they do not close.

No obvious other big names that could see a change in value. Realmuto, Springer, Ozuna, and Semien are also FA after the year. (Jesse Roche)
2019-08-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)Among these candidates for keepers in an NL only Scoresheet league, how would you rank the following; Matz, Quintana, Puig, Bryan Reynolds, Christian Walker and Kirby Yates? Thanks!
(Groot from In orbit)
I'm not great with scoresheet, but I'd probably go Reynolds, Yates, Quintana, Matz, Puig (on the off-chance that he comes back to the NL), and then Walker. (JP Breen)
2019-05-31 13:00:00 (link to chat)How expensive is the trade market going to be for RP? A lot of contenders need some help at the back end of the bullpen.
(Jay from WI)
I don't think the trade market for relievers will be too crazy expensive. Who are the high-end relievers that are going to be on the market? Will Smith? He won't fetch a massive price. The Padres could probably get a nice return for Kirby Yates, but will they want to? Ken Giles has, uh, some baggage. In theory, I think the relief market should be massive. We've just seen so many of the elite relievers move to competitive teams already. (J.P. Breen)
2018-07-26 12:00:00 (link to chat)Which current closers do you think will get dealt? Which will close for their new team?
(Austin from Texas)
Joakim Soria seems to be a guy who could easily get dealt, and will absolutely not close for his new team. Kirby Yates is a guy who's a little less likely to get dealt, but could close for a new team ... but only under certain situations. I'm not sure any other current closer gets moved. (Bryan Grosnick)
2016-05-17 14:00:00 (link to chat)Which Yankee will be the biggest disappointment this year and which will be the biggest surprise?
(Lemon Lyman from Jersey City)
I can order an OMB report on any Yankee player I please, Josh. So I'll tell you that I guess Luis Severino has already fallen into the first category, and 1. Kirby Yates has been sneaky great so far, and 2. I'm very curious to see what Ben Gamel could do with some real playing time at the big league level. (Nicolas Stellini)
2015-09-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)Any idea why the Rays stopped shuttling relievers between Durham and St. Pete? Any credence to the idea that they didn't want all those guys collecting big league pay checks and service time if they weren't back down for 20 days?
(Sandy Kazmir from America)
I have no idea. Although, when your top alternatives are Kirby Yates and C.J. Riefenhauser, I guess there's no point inconveniencing others. (R.J. Anderson)
2014-04-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)I see Kirby Yates among the IL strikeout leaders again. Is he a legit relief prospect?
(Humpty Dumpty from The Wall)
There's no reason he can't tribute in the bullpen this year. (Jeff Moore)
2013-11-26 13:00:00 (link to chat)Between the Rays 2 pitching additions to their 40-Man roster, who do you see having a more promising future from(both long-term & short-term) between CJ Riefenhauser & Kirby Yates?
(jlarsen from From Parts Unknown)
I don't know ... ask me later on twitter (Harry Pavlidis)


BP Roundtables

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC


Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2024, Kirby Yates threw 7,487 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2014 and 2025, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2025, he relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (93mph) and Splitter (86mph).