The Pittsburgh Pirates have sent right-handed pitcher Kyle Haynes to the New York Yankees to complete the Chris Stewart trade. Haynes was a 20th round draft pick in 2012, and put up some strong numbers this year. He had a 2.38 ERA in 83.1 innings with West Virginia, spending most of the season in the bullpen, but moving to the rotation at the end of the year. Haynes wasn’t in our top 50 prospects in the 2014 Prospect Guide, but we did give him a 3.0 grade with high risk, meaning he has a chance to be an up and down player in the majors. Since he is no longer in the system, and will no longer be in the book, here is his report.
Haynes was a reliever heading into the year, sitting in the 93-94 MPH range with his fastball, and touching 96 in the past. He’s got good life on the pitch, attacking the zone and using a fastball-heavy approach. After success in West Virginia during the early part of the season, he moved to the rotation where the strong results continued. As a starter, Haynes was sitting 90-92 MPH with his fastball. He also mixed in his low-80s curveball, but still mostly leaned on the fastball. He doesn’t profile as a starter in the majors, but if he can improve his curveball he could develop into a strong reliever.