Bay Area World Series

Not only is Archbishop Mitty SS Nick Yorke the highest BAWS participant drafted out of HS, he's also the highest drafted Santa Clara Valley player since David Sloan from Santa Clara high School was drafted 8th overall in 1971!

Back at BAWS 2018, Joe and Nick Yorke participated on the South Bay team and what an impression the two oldest son's of Robyn Yorke made. Yes, both players are very talented kids, that was obvious and easy to see. 

What stood out more than that, over the course of three days, was their make-up. Tremendous teammates, even in a showcase setting. Tremendous FUN they have being at the field, in the dugout, with teammates. They picked up others in the field when something may not have gone well for that player. They talked the game between each pitch, encouraging pitchers and teammates like they were in the CCS final! It was incredible to witness. At a SHOWCASE! They never let up for three days.

In the dugout I will always recall the 'interview' they did with their Mitty teammate Reese Myers, after Reese had a particularly good outing, striking out a bunch of players. They sat Reese down, Joe with a water bottle as a microphone, Nick with another prop as a camera on his shoulder, faux filming the interview. It was classic, it was genuine, and man, I can tell you this, it made Reese Myers' day! I am sure he will tell that story years down the road, sitting with his own kids, watching Nick Yorke play on TV in the big leagues.

Other players gravitated to them, all weekend, wanting to be in their sphere. That also was the case with Nick at the PBR Northern CA ProCase, when other elite talents, first round talents like Tyler Soderstrom, Kyle Harrison, Daniel Susac, all seemed to fall somewhat into the background with the presence of Nick Yorke.

So after three days of BAWS, when I always give out awards for performance and effort, I gave an award I have never given before. I presented the Most Outstanding Teammates Award, for the first time and only time, to Joe and Nick Yorke. I made sure to do privately with the two kids and their mother, so as to not call attention to them, attention they would have certainly deflected and not wanted... because who they are and how they go about things on a baseball field is, well, it's all they know and wouldn't want 'credit' for being who they are.

Here is a tremendous look inside at how area scout Josh Labandeira and the Red Sox, along with scouting director Paul Toboni (BAWS 2006/2007, St. Ignatius Prep, Cal-Berkeley... how cool is that!), came to select Nick Yorke.

https://weei.radio.com/blogs/rob-bradford/the-story-behind-how-nick-yorke-landed-with-the-red-sox