Altoona’s reliever of the year is moving on up!
The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to shuffle around the ranks as the season comes to a close with one more move coming in the form of right-handed pitcher, Eddy Yean, being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis.
The 23-year old pitcher out of the Dominican Republic, was signed as an international free-agent in 2017 by the Washington Nationals. The Pirates acquired him and Wil Crowe in Josh Bell trade in December of 2020, where Yean was then assigned to the West Virginia Black Bears before making the move to Bradenton.
7 straight men retired by Eddy Yean out of the bullpen with some help from Z in the field! pic.twitter.com/8fYSYYmhvV
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) May 25, 2024
Throughout his time in the Pirates’ Minor League system, Yean has enjoyed several notes of success. Between his time in MiLB and Winter Leagues, he was named to the All-Star team for the LBPRC and just this season he was named Altoona’s top reliever. With the Curve this year, he’s 7-5 in 46 appearances, with 10 holds and 5 saves. His 3.45 ERA is also a personal best in his most active season to date.
Him now being promoted to Indianapolis at this point in the year should be the perfect launch pad for him ahead of next season. Yean will likely start 2025 with the Indians, and if he performs similarly to how he has this year, he should be a likely candidate to see a big league promotion before long.
Eddy Yean has been nails all year. pic.twitter.com/nL3P3aNIxo
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) September 12, 2024
Major League Baseball teams are investing more and more in their bullpens, and the Pirates are no different. This year, the state of the relievers has been so up and down, and there will likely be some turnover after this season, which could create the perfect situation for Yean.
Within Pittsburgh’s crop of young pitching talent, Yean doesn’t jump off the pages, but if he continues to improve and develop some strength he could be a capable reliever for the Pirates next season.