Beneath is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scouting experiences have been compiled with info supplied by business sources in addition to my very own observations. That is the fifth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column beneath: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the yr a participant must be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Handbook changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means could be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview could be discovered right here.
The entire ranked prospects beneath additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the positioning affords that includes sortable scouting info for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from varied sources) than this text and integrates each group’s record so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm methods. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Be aware
Grouped by kind and listed so as of choice inside every class.
Energy-Over-Hit Varieties
Matt Gorski, OF
Jase Bowen, OF
Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B
Bralyn Brazoban, RF
This complete group has enviable energy however is placing out an excessive amount of to be on the primary part of the record. Gorski, 27, was the membership’s 2019 second spherical select of Indiana, and has had three consecutive years with 20 or extra homers. Bowen, 24, got here again to Earth in 2024 as opposing pitchers discovered that he’s one of many extra swing-happy gamers in baseball. Valdez, 21, is a power-hitting Dominican first baseman with plus pull energy and a flimsy hit instrument. He’s a bucket strider who Ok’d at a 30.6% clip with Bradenton in 2024, however he swings actually arduous. A participant with a typical proper area toolset, Brazoban bought $2 million in 2024, then struck out in 35.1% of his DSL plate appearances.
Contact Bats
Mitch Jebb, CF
Jonathan Rivero, C
Jebb struggled out of the gate in 2024, however the tide of his season turned in late June, and he hit .316/.411/.431 after June 25. His infield protection plateaued, and the Pirates started to play him in heart area, which seems to be prefer it has an opportunity to work. Jebb’s contact high quality is poor, however he places the ball in play steadily sufficient to be thought-about a possible depth piece. Rivero is a lefty-hitting catcher who led the DSL squad in swinging strike fee.
Aid Look
Wilber Dotel, RHP
Alessandro Ercolani, RHP
Keuri Almonte
Matt Ager, RHP
Garrett McMillan, RHP
Dotel is a 22-year-old Dominican righty who had a 5.33 ERA at Greensboro final yr. He sits 95 with sink and downhill aircraft, and bends in an 86 mph gyro slider off of that. He doesn’t have the command or repertoire depth to begin, but when he throws more durable in aid, he’ll have a very good shot to be an enormous leaguer. Ercolani hails from San Marino, and it will likely be an incredible story if he reaches the massive leagues as a result of he’s the nation’s lone participant in affiliated ball. Nearly all of his innings got here in aid in 2024. His supply is violent and misleading, and it helps his low-90s fastball play. Erc’s curveball can be higher than common, and he may play an up/down position within the close to future. Almonte is a 19-year-old DSL lefty aid prospect who touches 96 and flashes a plus curveball. Ager, Pittsburgh’s sixth rounder in 2024, is a 6-foot-6 righty who had an incredible sophomore yr in Santa Barbara’s rotation, however struggled as a junior and was moved into the Gauchos’ bullpen. He misplaced a tick of velocity final yr, however at his finest, he touches 96 and has an above-average slider. McMillan, who spent two years at a JUCO and two at Alabama, signed for $150,000 as a Day Three choose in 2023 and had an incredible 2024 in A-ball. His 91 mph fastball punched properly above its weight, whereas his secondary stuff performed like common.
Sorry, Charlies
Carlos Mateo, RHP
Carlos Jimenez, RHP
Carlos Castillo, RHP
This group has seaworthy stuff however struggles to find. Mateo, 19, is a 6-foot-2, low-slot Dominican righty who sat 95-98 in final yr’s FCL, however he additionally walked greater than a batter per inning. Jimenez is a 22-year-old Dominican righty who sits 95 and can flash a plus changeup and slider, however he’s been treading water in A-ball for 3 years and once more walked nearly a batter per inning in 2024. Castillo is a 19-year-old Venezuelan righty with a very good sweeper and changeup. He sits 91-93 from a low slot and posted a 4.81 ERA mixed between the complicated and A-ball in 2024.
“No, dad, completely different man.”
Richard Ramirez, C
Jose Garces, RHP
Jose Regalado, LHP
Ramirez (not the Night time Stalker) is a bodily mature 19-year-old Venezuelan catcher with above-average energy. He Ok’d 32.2% of the time on the complicated final yr. Garces (not the chef) is a 20-year-old Colombian righty who has struggled in rookie ball for a number of years, however his arm is so quick and his breaking ball so nasty that he must be monitored. Regalado (not the opposite former Pirate Jose Regalado) is a lefty aid prospect with mid-90s velocity, a drop-and-drive supply, and a vertical arm slot that creates enormous uphill trip on his heater. See him on the suitable day and he seems to be like a high-leverage reliever, however he walked nearly a batter per inning in 2024.
System Overview
The Pirates system is common but in addition distinctive, as a result of there are such a lot of hitters with excessive final result variance within the fats center of the system. For a corporation that tends to be (rightly) lauded for its means to develop pitching, however scorned (once more, appropriately) for the difficulty it has had with hitters, this snapshot of the farm system certain is flush with place gamers. That is the one record I’ve completed to this point this cycle with extra hitters than pitchers. The entire bats you see within the 40+ FV tier above are extraordinarily risky, an energetic volcano full of untamed card prospects principally from Latin America who the Pirates both signed or traded for. Every of those hitters has a possible pitfall, and any given certainly one of them might be prone to fall sufferer to that flaw, however whenever you accumulate a bunch of gamers of this type, there’s an honest probability that a few them will pan out and turn into star-level gamers. As a result of the Pirates mainly received’t spend cash to amass high-upside hitters in free company, their affect gamers have to be “homegrown” and reasonably priced. Their method in a number of completely different channels of expertise acquisition — draft, worldwide, commerce — has not too long ago focused abilities with this type of upside, even when it comes with elevated threat.
Additionally, let’s maybe maintain our horses with regard to heckling the Pirates about their lack of ability to develop bats. Whereas the massive league roster is little question imbalanced proper now, the Pirates have made adjustments to the swings of Nick Gonzales, Sammy Siani, Konnor Griffin, and Tsung-Che Cheng simply throughout the final yr, usually with good outcomes. These are indicators that they’ve not less than gotten some traction on this space. Nevertheless, groups just like the Pink Sox appear to be focusing on gamers with contact ability after which discovering methods to assist them swing more durable and get stronger, whereas the Pirates appear to be doing the alternative, buying bat velocity professionals and attempting to dial down their strikeouts.
This isn’t a foul system, however except for what Nick Yorke, Cheng, and Billy Prepare dinner can carry to the desk this season, it isn’t ready to offer the Pirates what they want (affect bats) for not less than one other couple of years. They may need to maintain aggressively buying and selling pitching to amass bats, like they did ultimately yr’s deadline to be able to purchase Yorke and Prepare dinner. Hopefully one or two of the risky, proficient lads will ascend and be in place to make an affect ahead of anticipated.