pirates' top prospects fangraphs

2018 Brewers batting, pitching, and fielding traditional and advanced stats. Thomas 2022 was a tale of two seasons. Hes an arm strength reclamation project with a shot to pitch in Pittsburghs bullpen. In some respects, its easy to assess DSL players. Back with former Astros pitching coach Brent Strom in Arizona . Hes going to be a star if he ends up with even average raw power, and even if he doesnt, were talking about a switch-hitting catcher who can make an impact on both offense and defense. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every teams list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. His player page shows him above average in UZR/150, OAA and RAA (although only 1 in each of the latter two). The Pirates claimed him off waivers and quickly lost him to the Diamondbacks in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft. Terrero is a compact outfielder with a well-rounded skill set and strong rookie-level line. He practically straddles the plate and was hit by 20 pitches during an injury-shortened regular season, then was somehow beaned seven more times in just 17 Arizona Fall League games. He walked more than a batter per inning in 2022. All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. There were some signs of offensive progress in 2022. He would slot among Priester and Ortiz on this list had he completed a totally healthy 2022. 11/ . 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. Sergio Campana, CF Across the 2022 calendar, Davis had nearly as many HBPs as he did extra-base hits, to which the wrist fracture likely contributed. He projects as a quick-moving no. As a high schooler, his ultra-low spin splitter seemed like the more promising pitch, but his feel for it has regressed. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations. 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. 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. Its a shorter, less natural looking delivery than what Flowers had as an amateur, but hes been able to throw strikes with it. The top six were already know from this list, because Fangraphs had six Pirates in their top 100 prospects. Pro teams are more open to east/west fastball operation and the Pirates might be able to coax more sweep out of Harringtons slider, though Campbell does a pretty good job developing pitchers, so there may be less developmental meat on the bone here than youd guess considering hes coming from a smaller program. As of list publication, Rodriguez is one of just two catchers on Pittsburghs 40-man roster, and while its possible hes beaten out by a veteran non-roster invitee like Tyler Heineman, Rodriguezs defensive chops and versatility give him a shot to break camp with the big club, split time with Austin Hedges, and moonlight at one or two other positions before eventually seizing the primary catcher job. He and Solometo have the same flavor of stuff wrapped in different packages. 2023 Opening Day Tracker. Hes on track to debut in 2025 as a starter if those issues improve and as a reliever if they do not. He finished 2022 at Altoona and has a chance to be in the big leagues at some point this season. Vilade spent some time near the top of the Rockies list due to his feel for contact. Pittsburgh graduated two top-50 prospects in 2022 (Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras) and still has a top-five system, or close to it, because of the three potential stars atop the group and the many upper-level, core role-playing hitters who should arrive in the big leagues soon. 2 prospect to Minors camp after injury February 24, 2023 Bucs invite top prospects Davis, Johnson, Priester to camp February 2, 2023 Shim realizes first part of dream as prospect signs with Bucs January 26, 2023 Even though both Davis and Rodriguez are near-ready catching prospects, they arent redundant, and in fact they complement each other well. Jameson Taillon / SP 4. He spins the hell out of everything that leaves his hand, in particular his slider, which averaged over 2,700 rpm, but his inability to fine tune his command puts a damper on its utility (his walk rate was an untenable 12.4% across his 75.2 innings of work). Burrows had success as a starter throughout a 2022 season split between Double- and Triple-A before shoulder inflammation effectively ended his season. Matt Gorski, OF He moved into a minor league relief role in 2022. 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. On Friday, FanGraphs released updated rankings. Counter to our past reports, his swing is rather stiff and some of Lopezs length makes him vulnerable to pitches in on his hands. Jones spent 2022, his second full pro season, at High-A Greensboro, where he sat 94-98 mph across 122.2 innings and posted a 26.7% K% and 9.6% BB%. Milwaukee Brewers Batting Postseason Stats 2021. Let's Identify Some Hitter Sleeper Candidates | FanGraphs Baseball Pirates Prospects Daily: Bryan Reynolds Plays Left Field In His Spring Fangraphs' Top 42 Pirates Prospects His fastball remains in the mid-90s but continues to underperform in terms of its bat-missing ability due to its hittable line. FanGraphs Top 43 Pirates prospects : r/buccos - reddit.com 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. Solometo was a very high-profile amateur pitcher, drafted in the second round but given a bonus commensurate with the 24th overall pick ($2.8 million) as one of several exciting high schoolers who Pittsburgh landed with the pool space freed up by Henry Davis under slot agreement. Anthony began writing over 10 years ago, starting a personal blog to cover the 2011 MLB draft, where the Pirates selected first overall. 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. Top 42 Prospects: Pittsburgh Pirates | FanGraphs Baseball 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. His carrying tool is still his defense, especially his receiving, which is crafty and advanced. 4/5 starter. Traded from Arizona to Pittsburgh as part of the Starling Marte deal, Peguero had been a top 100 prospect for the last couple of years, tracking like a plus bat middle infielder. Still right on the cusp of graduating from prospect eligibility, Kranick made four appearances in the minors to start the 2022 season before being called up to the major league bullpen. Rodriguezs arm is comfortably plus. March 3, 2023. The top 38 spots on the list are all 55 FV or higher. Scouting reports are. Hes poised for a big league bullpen role this season and has a repertoire thats deep and nasty enough that he should be considered a late-inning option. Hernandez, also 19, sat 93-96 in 2022 and has a good-looking two-planed slider, but a relief-only delivery and a mature build. 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. FanGraphs Prospects. ago His delivery also creates an odd angle on a mid-80s cutter/slider, which Solometo commands to his glove side. Like his other stuff, his feel for location is better than the movement hes creating on the pitch. His breaking ball has inconsistent length and he has a relief-only mechanical look, but hes throwing quite hard. Gonzales had a 68% Z-contact% as a 23-year-old at Double-A. Jackson Glenn, 2B. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. In 2022, it garnered just 8% whiffs and 13% chase during his time at Double-A, where he spent most of the season. The component parts of a scouting, tools-oriented look De Los Santos frame, bat speed, and infield actions put him in that range, while the DSL data reinforces it somewhat. Barco is a low-slot lefty with advanced command and several underlying pitch traits that give clubs hope of more upside even though he looks like a lower-variance backend starter prospect on the surface. While it may seem like a lot of time has passed since he put his name on the prospect map with his otherworldly 2018 DSL performance, Nunez is still very young; hell turn 22 during spring training, where hes a non-roster invitee. 2022 Top Prospects | THE BOARD | FanGraphs wNS9+ With @longenhagen Discussing the @fangraphs Pirates Top Prospect List You found it controversial, so we discussed it Subscribe & Listen http://linktr.ee . Be warned that he may hit for huge power at Greensboro in 2023, but the key thing to watch is his strikeout rate. Quick backfield looks at him have his tools in more of an extra outfielder bucket for now. Luigi Hernandez, RHP. He sits in the upper 80s right now but has promising underlying traits and plenty of time to develop. Hes been up to 100 mph, sits 96, and has solid glove-side command of a mid-80s slider. His fastball velocity is down, in the 92-94 mph range, a far cry from Priesters upper-90s peak. He could get a cup of coffee in 2023. So compact and short to the baseball is Rodriguez that he can wait an extra beat to diagnose pitch types, which enables him to make in-flight adjustments to breaking balls, spoil the well-located ones, and crush the hangers. Grant Hartwig is one of the most promising under-the-radar prospects in the New York Mets system. He maintained his patient approach in Altoona, and when the Double-A season ended, he was sent up to Indianapolis for the last five games of the Triple-A season. Mason Martin, 1B Both can be in the lineup every night because of Rodriguezs defensive versatility and the universal DH, and a more liberal timeshare behind the plate might help keep them both healthier and more consistently productive on offense. Garcia is only 19 but is already sitting 96. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Pegueros lack of throwing accuracy from shortstop is concerning. Born Harrison Michael Ford, in Atlanta, 20 years ago this week, the right-handed-hitting catcher is the son of English immigrants. These rankings are now available on The Board on the 2023 Fantasy Rankings tab, where you can also see the Top 120 Dynasty Rankings!. Mets Prospect Grant Hartwig Has an Unusual Background and an East-West Nicolas has consistent glove-side command of his entire repertoire, and he tends to live on that half of the plate exclusively. The power might be enough to make him a 1-WAR player if given regular at-bats in the big leagues, but as a second base-only defender, its hard to find an on-roster role for a player like this if they arent hitting enough to play there all the time. Reports, tool grades, . 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 if sliders are a chronic issue for Davis, hell likely still get to enough power to produce better than the average everyday catcher. Jones checked all but two scouting boxes as a high school pitcher. 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. . Webb dealt with a forearm strain that delayed the start of his 2022 season. If this were a high school draft prospect, you would already know his name based purely on how explosive De Los Santos is in the batters box. Youll occasionally see a low-90s changeup from Hernandez as well, but hes a relief prospect all the way and likely to stick in Pittsburghs bullpen despite below-average command. He has basically been the same guy since he entered pro ball, sitting 94-95 with ineffectual shape and a pretty good slider. 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. Theres still some prospect clout here because of Nolascos power and long-haul physicality, but at this stage, he should be considered more of power-driven flier than a likely big leaguer. Prospects 2022 Top 100 Prospects. Johnsons swing bears some mechanical resemblance to Bryce Harpers, especially its lower half usage and finish. Scouting reports were. Any Top 100 prospects, regardless of their ETA, are also included on this list. Pirates Draft Prospect Watch: Big Weekend for LSU's Dylan Crews The timing of his surgery is more detrimental than that of the other college pitchers, as it ups the odds that he wont (or will barely) pitch in 2023. When healthy, he was a hard-throwing 40 FV reliever. From the left side of the plate, Rodriguez has an exceptional ability to rip his hands through pitches on the inner edge of the zone. He spent more of his big league time in the outfield than at his native second base. It felt like the Pirates were slow-playing him a little too much after the pandemic (Nolasco was easily physical enough to go to Low-A in 2021), but perhaps they simply knew he wasnt ready to parse full-season pitching. A second base-only defensive fit puts the onus on Pegueros bat to perform at an everyday level. Hes already taken a sizable step in the breaking ball department in just two pros seasons. His fastball velo is up a tick since 2021, now comfortably sitting in the 95-96 mph range and routinely touching 98. This time around, the Top 100 has even more Moreno types, prospects who combine . Mlodzinski started for most of his 2022 season at Double-A but was called upon for middle-inning relief on a few occasions, and though it was only a handful of appearances, he was more effective as a reliever than as a starter. The bumps and bruises suffered from catching can sometimes level players for whole seasons, and Davis had a lot of them in 2022. Jimenez has a very good sweeping, upper-70s curveball and creates plus action on a changeup that he sells with fantastic arm speed. Davis was on the IL multiple times in 2022 with issues stemming from a small nondisplaced fracture of his left wrist that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in May. Yean, 21, was once a 40+ FV prospect in Washingtons system. But given his age and the amount of runway still afforded to him, this was seen as a speed bump for his development rather than being of great concern at the time. He threw it 16% of the time (up from 9% the previous season) and induced a 53% whiff rate with this power-action, mid-80s change. He has a short arm action, which aids in his command, though refining his location will likely be the order of the day upon his return from injury as he continues to work out of the Pirates pen. Those games were taking place amid weight-lifting and practice for the coming football season and then during the season itself, so Whites balance of strength and flexibility might change as he trains just for baseball. While prospect list ultimately isn't what makes a player great, it is . Top Prospects Team Lists 2022 2021 AL NL Pirates Top Prospects Reading Options Detail Level Data Only Full Position Filter All 60 FV Prospects 1. Instead, Triolo looks like hell be a superutility guy. Pirates Reds: NL West. in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Pegueros pull-heavy style of contact leaves him vulnerable to breaking balls on the outer half, even ones that catch a lot of the plate. Harry Ford is one of the top prospects in the Seattle Mariners organization, and he is also unique among his peers. The effects of a pro strength and conditioning program might kick-start him down the path toward finding a more consistent release and sustaining the big velocity as a pro starter. Before he was drafted he was considered, at least at FanGraphs, a more likely reliever due to the quality of his stuff. A double-plus hit tool leads the way for Termarr Johnson, a 5'7" 175 lb left-handed hitter who calls Jose Ramirez to mind on a quick visual evaluation. His two-plane slider has nasty, late break and his changeup might have late projection because his arm action is so clean and loose. 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. A proactive bullpen move could put him in position to debut in 2024. Theres an All-Star-caliber hit and power combination here, and while a bigger pro data sample might reveal some approach-related issues, Johnson has been one of the best hitters his age for going on a half decade and feels like a relatively high-probability high school hitting prospect. Melendez (sitting 97) and Mateo (sitting 95) are upper-level relievers with poor control. 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. Instead, Lopez picked up some reps in the Dominican Winter League, just a few games against the most advanced competition he has yet seen, and is poised to spend 2023 as a 21-year-old at Altoona. The FanGraphs prospect team presents their 2022 top 100 list . Its unlikely hell make enough of an offensive impact to be a primary catcher, but hes very likely to spend time on big league 40-man rosters as a second or third catcher. Not exactly on topic, but Id love to get some thoughts on the recently graduated Jack Suwinski. 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.