His slider lacks nasty, biting movement, but his arm slot makes it tough on lefty hitters, and his command of it gives it back-foot utility against righties. Hes been able to maintain nearly average contact rates despite a pull-heavy approach to contact. His delivery also creates an odd angle on a mid-80s cutter/slider, which Solometo commands to his glove side. Cristofer Melendez, RHP His delivery has a relief-only look to it. He also mixes in the occasional changeup or curveball, which accounted for a combined 11% of his offerings at Low-A. John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. Jesus Castillo, SS His turn at the 2022 Futures Game gave viewers a glimpse of his heater/curveball combo, showcasing the carry on his mid-90s fastball in contrast to the vertical depth of the high-spin (2,800 rpm) curve. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. RotoWire News: Gonzales will join the Pirates' major-league camp this spring. He projects as a quick-moving no. FanGraphs Prospects. Hard-Throwers A fresh start with a new org (he was a waiver claim this offseason) might help him find a swing that produces more power. If he moves to first base, this will become especially scary. Whats more, theres a chance Triolo hits enough to simply be an everyday option at second (or if he turns out to be okay in center). His 2022 performance deserves some age-related adjustment, but its possible we saw flaws in Pegueros game exposed by upper-level pitching. Back with former Astros pitching coach Brent Strom in Arizona . But at other times, he had difficulty maintaining the velocity as the innings wore on, which was compounded by his ongoing command inconsistency. Finding a great changeup (or maybe a split?) Still 17 years old as of initial list publication, De Los Santos DSL barrel rate (its more a proxy for a barrel rate the exit velo and launch benchmarks arent exactly the same as Statcasts Barrels, but its the same idea) is so high that it actually breaks an age-adjusted 20-80 scale, grading out as an 83. Meanwhile, put on the tape, limited though it may be, and youll see an explosive young athlete with a prototypical baseball frame and premium bat speed, sizzling line drives all over the field. Might the changeup develop over time into a plus pitch? DeVito is a bird of a feather that has flocked together in the Pirates system: a promising arm with in-zone swing-and-miss, but one whose unsteady command has prevented him from capitalizing on that whiff rate. Cy Nielson, LHP Silvera, 18, is a physically mature righty who missed a ton of DSL bats even though he only sits 88-90. Dombkowski is a lefty whose high-80s fastball plays up thanks to his low arm slot and excellent command over his above-average secondaries. There were only three big league hitters with 100 plate appearances who had sub-70% in-zone contact rates in 2022 (Chris Morel, Brett Phillips, Eli White). Selbys fastball sits 96-98 mph and he looks to blow it past hitters up in the zone. Castillo is a loose rotator without a lot of bat speed, but he seems to find a way to put the bat on the ball and the power might come if he gets stronger. We. He would slot among Priester and Ortiz on this list had he completed a totally healthy 2022. His Adonis-like physique helps him generate plus pull-side power, and he will show it to you without overswinging he simply lacks bat control and breaking ball recognition. His breaking ball has inconsistent length and he has a relief-only mechanical look, but hes throwing quite hard. While hes played a bunch of shortstop, he is much more likely to wind up on the edge of 3B/1B than he is to see middle infield time at maturity. We considered Glenn a high priority senior sign in the 2021 draft, but he needed to hit all the way up the minor league ladder and didnt do that in 2022. Hell also show you a 92-96 mph fastball that plays down a bit due to its shape and Jimenezs lack of command, which caused him to walk 5.8 per 9 IP in 2022. Many scouts are champing at the bit over Priesters prototypical frame and four- or five-pitch mix, depending on whether you consider his fastballs two distinct pitches. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Sanchez runs pretty well. Theyve tripled since his claim-staking 2019 DSL season and Nolsaco Kd at a whopping 34% rate in the 2022 Florida State League. They have Hunter. More glove-side fastballs might help him set up his sweeping slider more effectively, as that pitch has good-looking movement but wasnt a dominant offering in college. While especially adept at launching pitches on the inner third, Johnson also shows some ability to shorten up and cover the top and outer edge of the strike zone. Tony Sanchez / C 6. Prospects 2022 Top 100 Prospects. His defensive versatility will allow the Pirates to play in-game matchups that take advantage of Baes speed and ability to put balls in play. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted feels like the more realistic path to an eventual 45-grade role, or above. Ortiz rocketed through the system in 2022, skipping High-A and spending most of the season with Double-A Altoona before making his big league debut across four starts in September and October. Opinions around Shim vary because he offers less physical projection than is typical in the international talent space, even for an older pitcher. Davis skills and offensive style are tailored like those of Evan Gattis. But he was then shut down and had TJ, which ended his season early enough that he could be back in 2023. Despite all of that, Priester took a hit in a lot of the national prospect outlets, dropping off quite a few Top 100 lists. Across his 94.1 innings, he racked up 111 strikeouts against just 31 walks, with a 1.21 WHIP. Looking forward to fangraphs being wrong Campman92 5 min. His delivery is violent and scary, especially given the injury track record, though not all of his injuries in the past have been to his arm. Pittsburgh Pirates: Top 10 Players Under Age 26 (as of 4/1/11) 1. Johnson often ends his swing with his torso having made a full 180 degree rotation, sometimes swinging with such ferocious bat speed that he loses his balance and faceplants in the batters box. Quants and front office analyst types are more bearish, citing issues with Priesters fastball playability. Plaz had a cartoonish line in the DSL (he slugged over .700), but hes very burly and physically mature for a 17-year-old, so wed like to see him do it stateside. He absolutely towers over his father, who was twice a Baseball America Top 100 prospect but spent most of his pro career in Japan. His mother spent her childhood in London, while his father "a real Brit; he still has an . He spent much of the season leading off for Altoona, where he slashed .282/.376/.419 and stole 24 stolen bases. He has become meaningfully stronger over the last year and has more of a balanced, low-ball swing now, as opposed to the slash-and-dash style of contact in his pro debut. Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Top 50 Prospects January 1, 2021 Kyle Brown General, MiLB, NL Central, Pirates, Top 50 Lists 2 Graphic design by John Stewart, @jonance on Twitter The Pirates had a woeful time in 2020 once the season got going. The high-waisted Lopez has a wide range of athletic/mobility outcomes that will impact where he ultimately ends up on defense. ago They do not like solemeto or Gonzalez. Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2023 4:51 PM ET, Park Factors The average draft position (ADP) included is from Draft Champions leagues from January 19 to February 19 at the NFBC, which you can find here.These leagues draft 50 players and that's all they get for the year no pickups or drops. His fastball velocity is down, in the 92-94 mph range, a far cry from Priesters upper-90s peak. Born Harrison Michael Ford, in Atlanta, 20 years ago this week, the right-handed-hitting catcher is the son of English immigrants. That creates backspin and carry on his fastball and big depth on his curve. Nicolas spent most of his college career in the bullpen, but hes held up well as a starter in pro ball, developing two distinct breaking balls that hes using much more than he did at Ball State. Triolo earned industry praise for his defensive aptitude and high marks for his baseball IQ and instincts. DSL data is noisy, in part because pitchers there dont yet throw enough strikes or with much velocity compared to more advanced levels of the minors. This is one of those prospects fantasy players should value more highly than this because of his potential home run output, whereas defensive limitations cause us to value his real-world roster fit in this range. He was Rule 5 eligible after the season, and hitters who have performed that well at High-A tend to be added to their clubs 40-man roster, but Lopez doesnt have a crystal clear defensive home and his plate discipline needs a lot of seasoning, so he wasnt a real threat to be taken. Nolasco had two years of surface-level statistical success in rookie ball and the huge exit velos to match, but now after three pro seasons, his strikeout rates show a troubling upward trend. He fills out the bottom half of the zone with his slider, itself an impressive bat-misser, thanks again to Dombkowskis command. Here are the Pirates' 2023 Top 30 prospects March 1, 2023 Pirates' Chandler going all in on pitching February 28, 2023 Pirates return No. He spent two years at a JUCO before heading to South Alabama in 2020, and he only pitched 21 total innings for the Jaguars due to the timing of his transfer. Connor Scott, RF ago Hes been a fast-mover thus far and looks likely to continue that pattern, with a chance to show up on the big-league roster later this season, though a 2024 big league debut is more likely. His arm action looks longer and looser than it was in his injury-shortened 2021, and his upper body appears more closed, which might be helping him hide the ball longer than before. Top 35 Prospects: Pittsburgh Pirates by Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel November 26, 2018 Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When an opposing pitcher releases the ball, the scoop in Johnsons bat head is pointing at the mound with his back elbow hiked way up above his shoulder in a position that seems to defy the rules of normal human physiology. As a right-handed hitter almost all of Endys damage is done on outer-third pitches that he can get fully extended against. White was seen early and often as an underclassman since he went to a Philadelphia high school with University of Virginia outfielder Chris Newell, and would frequently match up against the Siani brothers during varsity play. An extreme groundball pitcher in a small sample, he allowed just two home runs in 35.2 innings of work in 2022. Carter Bins, C He might end up becoming the player the industry hoped Francisco Meja would become. It plays nicely with Flowers plus slider, and he has enough changeup feel to parachute one in against lefties once in a while. Blake Cederlind, RHP Neither his slider nor changeup is fully baked quite yet, but if either (or both) become viable, they would bring with them a higher probability that Priester slots in as a mid-rotation starter. He has above-average bat-to-ball skills and very little power. Readers should note that taking an aggressive line with players like this has yielded predictably mixed results in the past (so far, so good: Kevin Alcantara, Marco Luciano, Alexander Canario, Jordy Vargas, etc. Jerez has above-average power and a 70 arm. He walked more than a batter per inning in 2022. Milwaukee Brewers Batting Postseason Stats 2021. Quick backfield looks at him have his tools in more of an extra outfielder bucket for now. These rankings are now available on The Board on the 2023 Fantasy Rankings tab, where you can also see the Top 120 Dynasty Rankings!. Priesters four-seamer is divisive. Malone, a former first round high schooler who was part of the Starling Marte trade with Arizona, has barely pitched since he was acquired, and dealt with shoulder injuries in 2022. Hes now 23 but could still be a fifth outfielder. It should be noted that DeVitos development has been plagued by stops and starts caused first by the pandemic and then by an ulnar nerve issue that shortened his 2021 season. The bumps and bruises suffered from catching can sometimes level players for whole seasons, and Davis had a lot of them in 2022. Nicolas has consistent glove-side command of his entire repertoire, and he tends to live on that half of the plate exclusively. His carrying tool is still his defense, especially his receiving, which is crafty and advanced. The top 38 spots on the list are all 55 FV or higher. Ke'Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, Mitch Keller, Travis Swaggerty, Tahnaj Thomas and. His finishing pitch, though, is his slider, a nasty upper-80s sweeper that generated a 50% whiff rate and 38% chase rate in 2022. Given how good he is at third, it seems likely that Triolo will be a good defensive second baseman if given enough time, and hes a fine emergency option at short (Kyle Farmer has played there a ton and Triolo is about that good). The Pittsburgh Pirates are hiring. He barely played in 2022 due to hamstring, elbow, and hip flexor injuries that cost him all but a couple of games. Climbing the minor league ladder often comes with offensive slumps, many of which are cured as hitters accrue at-bats at the more advanced level. Still, his strikeouts come primarily on in-zone swing-and-miss, so its important for the strike-throwing to improve for him to capitalize on his ability to overpower hitters as he continues to advance. His swing is already geared for lift, but he doesnt currently have the raw juice to make the most of it. Stratton, 26, sat 94-96 mph in 2022 and has a plus-flashing slider that he rarely throws for strikes. This level of athleticism might be an indication that Rodriguez will find a way to mature into more raw power despite not having a traditionally projectable frame. De Los Santos contact metrics are a hair south of average, and thats the biggest indicator that theres real risk here, but boy, there is also real ceiling. Now 24 and neither protected from nor claimed during the 2022 Rule 5 draft, its imperative for him to start throwing strikes more consistently in order to find his way to a big league bullpen. document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () { Harry Ford is one of the top prospects in the Seattle Mariners organization, and he is also unique among his peers. Spotty command and limited fastball utility push Mlodzinski into a multi-inning relief role. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. There were some signs of offensive progress in 2022. JP Massey, RHP In cases like these, sometimes the things that initially pique your interest, like data and/or available video, are enough to excite on their own even as you acknowledge that the error bars are as wide as can be because of the relative dearth of reinforcing club opinions. But Jones athleticism and physical strength drove confidence that he could maintain plus fastball velocity across a starters workload in pro ball (which so far has been true), and his natural breaking ball bite gave him at least one likely plus pitch to go with it. The top six were already know from this list, because Fangraphs had six Pirates in their top 100 prospects. He commands it consistently enough to his glove side to project as a starter. Sergio Campana, CF Samaniego looks like a typical second lefty out of a bullpen, sitting 92-94 mph with a deceptive, whippy arm action, and locating his fastball with precision on the arm-side part of the plate. His low-80s slider, which has late, two-plane bite, has improved considerably and is now an above-average big league pitch. Hes still on a path toward a glove-reliant bench role but is closer to having meaningful pop than he was last year. His swing may look different in 2023 and prompt a re-evaluation. His fastball velo is up a tick since 2021, now comfortably sitting in the 95-96 mph range and routinely touching 98. FanGraphs Prospects. He pairs it with two above-average secondaries: a high-80s slider with sharp, downward movement that garnered a 48% chase rate against righties, and an 11-5 curveball with a shape that mimics the slider, only slower and looser, which helps keep batters off balance and enables him to pitch backwards. As the Pirates improve and fall into the middle of the draft order, opportunities to do this might dwindle since they cant create a big pool space surplus as easily, but their steady stream of competitive balance picks should give them at least some opportunity to explore creativity in the draft room just about every year. Reports around his once-stellar defense have dimmed, and were hoping its due more to rust and lost time than to an actual regression in ability. It sounds like Brannigan is going to develop as a two-way player. Even with that in mind, any team would be happy to sign a teenager with this kind of stuff for just $750,000 of their bonus pool. His four-seamer was around the same velo as it had been at the alt site, sitting comfortably at 93 mph and maxing out at 95. Triolos swing and footwork in the box make him vulnerable in a couple of obvious ways (high heat, sliders away), and we dont think the 60-grade hit, 45-grade power profile that he has put on paper so far will hold quite that much water against big league arms. As for the top three prospects on all six lists, their average rankings: Termarr Johnson - 28.2 Endy Rodriguez - 38.5 Henry Davis - 52 John Dreker + posts John started working at Pirates. His slot also helps generate two-plane sweep on his breaking ball. Pegueros lack of throwing accuracy from shortstop is concerning. His range and footwork are great, while his actions and arm are fine. A 2022 eighth rounder, Nielsens velocity has been up and down depending on when hes been seen, peaking at 94 in 2022 but at 96 in years prior. Bolton was able to stay healthy for the entirety of 2022, which was an accomplishment in itself given that his professional career has been plagued by injury since it began. A proactive bullpen move could put him in position to debut in 2024. Pre-draft rumors pegged Kennedy as a tough sign given a strong commitment to LSU. Fourth-round high school pitcher Owen Kellington was a participant in the 2021 Draft League and Combine, and looked like an interesting, slow-burning developmental prospect prior to a hamstring injury than ended his 2022 season. Isaias Uribe, LHP While he was already throwing quite hard, Ortiz came into even more velocity in 2022 and averaged 97 mph on his fastball, up two ticks from 2021. His swing decisions and ability to make contact out front and tap into his latent power improved throughout the season. While he hasnt continued producing the mid-to-upper-90s velocity he did during college relief outings, Nicolas still sits a respectable 92-95 mph and leans on his two above-average breaking balls, a low-80s curveball and a mid-80s slider. Amid a couple of short IL stints in 2022, Selby put up impressive numbers split between Double- and Triple-A and then looked great in the Arizona Fall League. Very Young Prospects to Monitor He can already land his breaker in the zone and its angle should help it become a viable back-foot offering to righties. His multi-tasking fastball plays at the letters due to angle and also gets a groundball when located down, but at just 91-94 mph, its still a below-average pitch. 2023 Opening Day Tracker. For now, hes lithe enough for third, where he has a shot to be an everyday player based largely on his power projection. Shim is a big, physically mature righty with huge present arm strength, creeping into the upper 90s. He has now struck out nearly 30% of the time during each of the last two seasons, but hes still performed comfortably above the league average at each stop because of the quality of the contact he does make. Clubs like the Pirates arent making buyers trades, so they have little to no incentive to move a potentially great young player, which in turn means teams have little incentive to scout said player. He has a delivery similar to Ubaldo Jimnezs, where his front side flies way open and he tilts out, which helps Kellington get to a vertical arm slot. by Handedness, 25th on the Pirates list at the end of 2022, Effectively Wild Episode 1966: Joe West, Young Man, Ben Cherington on Pittsburghs Two Top Prospects. But the improvement on his slider means he could solidify a role as a middle reliever, especially if the converted infielder is able to re-establish the fastball velos he flirted with a few years ago. Melendez (sitting 97) and Mateo (sitting 95) are upper-level relievers with poor control. Lolo Sanchez, CF Aside from the persistent Bryan Reynolds trade rumors, the general industry sentiment is that the team is shifting from prospect collection mode and into a phase where those players start to arrive. The older brother of Ohio State wide receiver phenom Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Canaan is another of the many prospects acquired from the Yankees for Jameson Taillon. Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 Prospects Updated by Marc Hulet September 10, 2018 The Pirates system doesn't have immense depth or a long line of high-impact players but the big league club could. With Endy Rodriguez around, it may not matter a ton. Matt Fraizer, CF He was ranked 25th on the Pirates list at the end of 2022, but we were blown away after watching him on video and seeing some of his underlying DSL data during the construction of this list. While he has a low three-quarters slot that creates natural tail on his heater, Kennedy can still create riding life at the letters. Hes a good enough defender that hed probably being playing shortstop had he ended up at Arizona State, but in pro ball the keystone is Johnsons likeliest defensive home given his maxed-out, stocky build and what projects to be somewhat limited range. Even though he was sitting 96-98 in Arizona, Webbs fastball doesnt play like an upper-90s pitch right now, and his mid-80s breaking ball quality is highly variable (lots of 30s, some 50s). Obviously the 2021 draft was the big one, and seven players from that class are currently on the list. Meanwhile, Chandlers post-promotion production at the plate plummeted to a sub-.200 batting average and an OPS of just .574, thanks largely to a strikeout rate just barely south of 40%; he launched just a single dinger in his 32 Low-A games compared to three in his 14 games on the complex. In 2022, it garnered just 8% whiffs and 13% chase during his time at Double-A, where he spent most of the season. If he does end up having relevant chase issues, he might track like a left-handed hitting Brendan Rodgers, but Johnsons makeup and personality are so universally lauded that its fair to expect him to make relevant adjustments and become a key cog on Pittsburghs next competitive team.
