ARLINGTON -- In 2023, the Rangers blew an astonishing amount of saves for a team that eventually won the World Series, completing the regular season 30-for-63 (47.6 percent) in save opportunities.
Entering ‘24, the front office needed to find a reliable back-of-the-bullpen arm to hold things down.
Enter Kirby Yates, the 37-year-old right-hander who spent most of 2020-22 plagued with injuries before a bounceback season with the Braves in ‘23, when he posted a 3.28 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings.
Yates signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Rangers last offseason, looking to build off his 2023 campaign. He did all that and more. Yates posted a 1.17 ERA, while going 33-for-34 in save opportunities for Texas in ‘24, earning his second career All-Star selection. He was also named to the All-MLB Second Team presented by MGM Rewards, which was revealed on Thursday.
All-MLB honors recognize the best players at each position across the Majors. The teams were selected by a combination of fan voting and a panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials throughout the game.
Yates’ 2024 season only rivaled his ‘19 campaign with the Padres, the only other season he made an All-Star team. That year with San Diego, Yates logged a 1.19 ERA in 60 2/3 innings, while collecting 41 saves in 44 attempts.
Yates said many times throughout the season that this year was about proving to himself that he could still compete at a high level after the injury struggles of 2020-22. His ‘23 season with the Braves was just the first step.
“The last five years have been weird,” Yates said at the All-Star Game. “Look, if you would have asked me in April or May last year if I thought this was possible, I probably would have said no. But I did feel like this was attainable this offseason. There were some adjustments that I would have had to make and I made them. Thankfully, they've all paid off.”