By Tim Best
Ryan Yarbrough was a member of the Utica Brewers back in 2011, the franchise’s first season in the NYCBL. The Brewers finished with the best record in the league that summer at 32-12 with Yarbrough playing a pivotal role in the team’s success, posting a 2.30 ERA in 43 innings pitched with a 4-2 record en route to being named an NYCBL all-star. Although Utica came up short in the NYCBL playoffs, they went on to win the NABF College World Series in Toledo, Ohio.
Yarbrough played his first two years of college ball at Santa Fe College in Florida before transferring to Old Dominion. Yarbrough was taken in the 20th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, but he opted to return to ODU for his senior year. The following year, he significantly improved his draft stock, and the Seattle Mariners made him their 4th round pick. He then spent his first three seasons as a pro in Seattle’s farm system before the Tampa Bay Rays acquired him via trade before the 2017 season. Thanks to a strong season with the Durham Bulls at AAA that year, Yarbrough made Tampa Bay’s 2018 Opening Day roster, making his debut on March 31 against Boston. In his rookie year, Yarbrough was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of manager Kevin Cash’s game-changing opener strategy as he set a franchise record for most wins by a rookie pitcher in a single season with 16 despite working predominantly out of the bullpen. As a result, Yarbrough finished tied for 5th in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Yarbrough remained a constant in the Rays’ pitching staff over the next four years as the team reached the postseason in each of those seasons, winning a pair of AL East Division titles and capturing the 2020 AL pennant. He made eight postseason appearances between 2019 and 2020, compiling a 2-0 record with a 3.06 ERA in 17.2 innings of work. He made three appearances in the 2020 World Series, which the Rays would lose in six games to the Dodgers.
The following year, Yarbrough became the first Tampa Bay pitcher to throw a complete game since 2016 as he went wire-to-wire on the bump on June 3 against the Yankees in the Bronx. After the 2022 season, he signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals, who sent him to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. In his first full season in Los Angeles, Yarbrough has become one of the top relievers on a team that entered 2024 as a heavy favorite to win the World Series.