Pittsburgh Pirates Top 15 Prospects

While the Pittsburgh Pirates have not yet experienced the return to success at the big league level that many fans have been waiting for, pitching talent acquired by general manager Ben Cherington via the draft has more national focus on the Steel City than what they’ve had in recent years. Headlined by young right-handers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates have even more coming, with both Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington finishing the season with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Offensively, the farm system certainly leaves something to be desired. Cherington and the Pirates brass swung for the fences by taking prep bat Konnor Griffin with their top pick in ’24, placing him with Termarr Johnson at the top of their organization’s position player prospects. Unfortunately, the crop of bats thins out quickly, and only time will tell if this offense can match the pitching promise in the near future.

1. Bubba Chandler – RHP – (Triple-A)

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 200 | Bat/Throw: S/R | 3rd Round (72), 2021 (PIT) | ETA: 2025

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	Curveball	COMMAND	FV
65/70	50/55	60/60	50/50	45/55	60

Drafted as a two-way prospect who also boasted Power Five offers as a quarterback, Chandler has blossomed quickly as he has focused on pitching, with his athleticism more than evident.

Check out our conversation with Bubba Chandler!

Arsenal

Athletic with elite arm speed, Chandler’s fastball explodes out of his hand with good carry. An easy plus heater, it sits 95-97 MPH, flirting with triple digits while averaging more than 18 inches of induced vertical break from a slightly below average release height. The strong pitch characteristics have helped Chandler pick up elite whiff and chase numbers, especially at the top of the zone.

Working off of Chandler’s lively heater is a plus changeup with late arm side fade. His ability to maintain his arm speed makes it difficult for hitters to differentiate from the fastball. Opponents hit below .150 against the pitch with a ground ball rate north of 50%. He will predominantly throw it to lefties, but it is a good enough pitch to bury in on right-handed hitters.

The third offering for Chandler is gyro slider in the upper 80s. The pitch became more effective for him as he started to throw it harder as it tunnels well off of his fastball to righties. While it’s not a huge swing and miss pitch, Chandler gets a lot of contact on the ground with it.

Rounding things out for Chandler is a curveball in the low 80s that he initially used as an early strike stealer, predominantly to lefties, but he gained more confidence in the offering as an occasional put-away pitch to southpaws in the second half of the 2024 season.

Outlook

As athletic as they come on the mound, Chandler made a huge leap in his first full season exclusively focusing on pitching in 2023 and followed that up with a dominant 2024 at the upper levels. He has really come into his own on the mound, confident in how he wants to attack hitters, but also showing more of a willingness to not lean too heavily on his 70 grade heater.

The progress of Chandler’s secondaries and his ability to keep the ball in the yard as a vert pitcher who likes to attack the top of the zone really helps shore up any concern about him sticking as a starter while raising his ceiling to that of a strong No. 2 starter. After building up to roughly 120 innings in 2024, Chandler appears primed for a big league debut in 2025.

2. Konnor Griffin – OF – (CPX)

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 215 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (9), 2024 (PIT) | ETA: 2028

HIT	Plate Disc.	GAME POWER	RUN	FIELD	FV
30/40	40/50	45/60	70/70	55/70	50+

Griffin offers as much upside as any prospect in the class. He’s 6-foot-4, 210 pounds with plus run times and excels defensively both in centerfield and at shortstop. If that wasn’t enough he was an early round pitching prospect on the mound as well.

Offense

Starting upright with a slight bend in his knees and his hands rested right by his slot, Griffin has worked to simplify his operation in the box in order to facilitate more repeatability and contact. Griffin managed his large frame and long levers much more effectively in his senior spring, improving his hit tool outlook.

Griffin can produce big power with minimal effort and has room for even more strength within his frame. His swing can lack fluidity and rhythm at times, looking rushed or crowded with his swing. As he continues to smooth things out in the box and gains more feel for his lower half, he should make more consistent contact and drive the ball in the air with more frequency.

It’s really difficult to project Griffin offensively at this point due to the wide range of outcomes, but his monstrous ceiling and steady improvements bode well for his outlook as he enters professional baseball.

Defense/Speed

A superb athlete who excelled in football and basketball as well before shifting his focus solely to baseball, Griffin turns in double plus run times and projects as a strong defender at both center field and shortstop, projecting as potentially a 70 defender at the former. His a plus arm could play well on the dirt as well, however the defensive potential in center may be just too tantalizing. He gets to his top speed quickly for such a physical player, getting great jumps and chewing up plenty of ground with his long strides.

High school stats are to be taken with a grain of salt, but he stole 85 bags in 43 games in his senior season. He should be a menace on the base paths.

Outlook

If there were more clarity on Griffin’s hit tool, he would have likely been a top five pick. His tools and upside alone made him an extremely exciting get for the Pirates with the 9th selection, especially in a class that lacked premium defenders. There’s still room on Griffin’s big frame for more strength, making plus power easy to dream on.

In addition to the defense, he does just about everything possible to take pressure off of his questionable hit tool, offering a tantalizing blend of power upside and speed that already translates both on the base paths and in the field. Young for the class, Griffin reclassified after last season and turned 18 just a few months before the draft. He’s likely a project that could be worth every bit of the wait. It could look like something similar to 2024 Brenton Doyle if comes together.

3. Thomas Harrington – RHP – (Triple-A)

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 190 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 2nd Round (36), 2022 (PIT) | ETA: 2025

FASTBALL	SLIDER	Changeup	Cutter	COMMAND	FV
55/55	55/55	55/55	40/45	60/60	50+

A former walk-on at Campbell Univeristy, Harrington was the Big South Freshman of the Year before becoming the first Golden Spikes finalist in program history as a draft-eligible sophomore. Great fastball characteristics and advanced feel for his secondaries could make him a back-of-the-rotation starter, and a good one.

Check out our conversation with Thomas Harrington!

Arsenal

A four pitch mix, Harrison really pounds the zone with his fastball and slider. The fastball averages 92-94 MPH, but has great characteristics that help him generate above average in-zone whiff and chase rates. Averaging 16 inches of induced vertical break from a 5.5 foot release height, Harrington misses plenty of bats at the top of the zone and will freeze hitters at the knees and commands his heater extremely well (72% strike rate).

Working off of his fastball is an above average slider at 82-84 MPH. Though he will still mix it in against left-handed hitters around 10% of the time, it is right-handed hitters who are particularly stifled by the pitch, hitting just .130 against it thanks to his ability to locate it along with the way that it tunnels off of his lively heater.

Left-handed hitters don’t have it much easier now either as Harrington found a splitter going into the 2024 season in the mid 80s. Lefties hit just .130 against the pitch, but because of the downward action and vertical separation from his fastball, it is also an effective offering to same-handed hitters, going to it more than 15% of the time right on right.

Harrington will mix in a fringy cutter as well in the upper 80s to induce weak contact and provide a different look.

Outlook

Harrington’s plus command of three above average offerings makes him a high probability big league starter. The fact that he has been able to keep the ball in the yard throughout his professional career as a fly ball pitcher helps solidify his floor.

After missing the early part of the season with minor shoulder discomfort, Harrington ended up tossing 114 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in his age 22 season and appears to be knocking on the door of a big league debut. He has the floor of an innings eating No. 5 starter, but the stuff and pitchability could be enough to be a fringe No. 3 starter now that he has found a splitter.

4. Nick Yorke – UTIL – (MLB)

Height/Weight: 6’0″, 180 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (17), 2020 (BOS) | ETA: 2024

HIT	Plate Disc.	GAME POWER	RUN	FIELD	FV
50/50	55/55	40/45	60/60	50/50	50

Traded to the Pirates in exchange for Quinn Priester at the 2024 trade deadline, Yorke really kicked things into gear in Triple-A, consistently hitting the ball hard while moving all over the diamond defensively.

Hitting

Starting slightly closed and bent at the knees, Yorke’s operation in the box is rather simple, only picking his heel off of the ground with a small hand load. He boasts a quick, compact swing geared for line drives, spraying the ball to all fields with authority. While his bat path is not conducive to consistent lift, Yorke has done a good job of keeping his ground ball rate down, though his 30% line drive rate may be more difficult to maintain at the highest level. His quickness and efficiency to the ball resulted in a .353/.437/.480 slash line against pitches 93+ MPH.

Yorke’s 90th percentile exit velocity sat north of 105 MPH in 2024, nearly two ticks above the big league average with a hard hit rate of 46% to reinforce it. His ability to hit the ball hard consistently paired with plus wheels should help him maintain above average BABIP numbers, hedging some concern if the ground ball rate creeps up.

A patient hitter who recognizes spin well, Yorke managed a chase rate comfortably below 20% against sliders and curveballs, which paired with his ability to hit velocity, bodes well for his offensive outlook. With his somewhat flatter path, Yorke does not pull the ball in the air enough to project for above average power, but could reach 20 home runs in the right environment. It’s more likely he hovers around 10-15 homers to go with a lot of doubles.

Defense/Speed

One of the most underrated aspects of Yorke’s game is his athleticism. He underwent shoulder surgery on his throwing arm in his junior year of high school, forcing him to DH as a senior and dealt back, wrist and toe issues in 2022. The further removed from his high school shoulder surgery and the nagging ailments in 2022, the more explosive of an athlete Yorke has become. He has turned in run times below 4.3 seconds to first base and his arm strength looked to be at least average in 2024.

Yorke played all over the diamond at the upper levels, including his MLB debut, seeing action at second base, third base and both corner outfield spots in his 11 big league games while also getting starts in centerfield and at shortstop at Triple-A. Yorke projects best at second base or either corner outfield spot, where his reads and routes are more comfortable than generally expected from a player with such limited reps out there. He looks comfortable at the hot corner as well and did not commit an error in his seven starts at shortstop in Triple-A, capable of filling in at the position in a pinch. He stole a career-best 23 bags in 2024.

Outlook

While nothing jumps off of the page, his improved strength and athleticism was more than evident in a healthy 2024 and his natural feel for the game stood out as the Pirates paraded him around the diamond after acquiring him. A super-utility man who is big league ready, Yorke’s floor is high, but his ability to consistently find the barrel and improved defense give him a chance to be an above average regular.

5. Termarr Johnson – 2B – (Double-A)

Height/Weight: 5’8″, 175 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 1st Round (4), 2021 (PIT) | ETA: 2026

HIT	Plate Disc.	GAME POWER	RUN	FIELD	FV
40/45	55/65	45/55	50/50	40/50	50

Viewed as one of the best pure prep hitters in years, Johnson has the looks of a power-over-hit prospect in the early going, but the power is plentiful.

Check out our conversation with Termarr Johnson!

Offense

Johnson starts with his bat resting on his shoulder and his weight favoring his backside before getting into a big leg kick that coincides with a barrel tip. Generally, these loud moves would be of concern in regards to disrupting timing and consistency, but Johnson is quick and compact with explosive bat speed.

Despite his smaller stature, Johnson generates a ridiculous amount of rotational power and bat speed, already posting plus exit velocities with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 105 MPH and max of 112 MPH.

Like many young hitters, Johnson tends to try to get into his pull side power a bit too much, causing him to be out and around the baseball. Good secondary stuff in pro ball has also caused Johnson to drift onto his front foot as well. That said, he is patient in the box, running a chase rate below 20%

Johnson is a really fun hitter to watch when he’s on time. Pitchers will fear going inside on him because of the way he is able to turn around stuff on the inner half with authority. When Johnson is at his best, he is able to shoot balls the other way with authority as well, but he will need to find some more consistency with his lower half.

It will remain to be seen if Johnson can get away with his loud moves against more advanced pitching, however his decent feel for the barrel and ridiculous bat speed should help him either A. Get away with it, or B. Quiet things down without it coming at expense of much power.

Defense/Speed

Johnson’s hands work really well and his average arm should play fine at second base. Though not the rangiest, he should be an average defender or better at second.

Just an average runner who many evaluators think could slow down a step as he continues to mature, it’s unlikely that Johnson is a major factor on the bases.

Outlook

There’s a lot to like with Johnson’s bat. Plus raw power with a feel to hit that should improve along with a patient approach, there’s potential for major impact in the batter’s box. While he may not be the plus plus hitter that many evaluators tabbed him as coming out of the draft, he also boasts far more raw power than most gave him credit for.

How Johnson responds to more challenging pitching will likely determine whether he needs to make some swing tweaks, but his twitchy bat speed and explosiveness are impossible to teach and should give him an edge as he shores up his consistency.

6. Braxton Ashcraft – RHP – (Triple-A)

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 195 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 2nd Round (51), 2018 (PIT) | ETA: 2025

FASTBALL	Slider	Curveball	COMMAND	FV
55/55	60/60	60/60	55/60	50

Injuries have really slowed Ashcraft since being drafted in the second round in 2018, but he has been very effective when available and reached a career-high 73 innings in 2024 before a forearm injury prematurely ended his season. Quality of stuff and command is not the issue with Ashcraft, though a move to the bullpen may be in the cards.

Check out our conversation with Braxton Ashcraft!

Arsenal

A quality three pitch mix that he commands well Ashcraft sits in the mid 90s with his fastball, reaching the upper 90s. The shape is relatively standard, but the velocity paired with his ability to locate it make it a comfortably above average offering.

Ashcraft’s best pitch is his gyro slider in the upper 80s. The hard, downward action plays up from his over the top release and can be difficult for hitters to differentiate from his fastball. His command of the pitch is superb, landing it for a strike 75% of the time in 2024 while holding opponents to a batting average around .170.

Not far behind his slider is a plus curveball in the low 80s with good depth and 12-6 action. He will lean on the pitch more against left-handed hitters, though he will still mix it in around 15% of the time to righties. Because of the bigger break of the pitch, Ashcraft does not land it for a strike quite as consistently as his other offerings, but he still has a solid feel for it.

Outlook

If not for health concerns, Ashcraft would probably be a top 100 prospect with middle rotation upside thanks to his mid 90s fastball and plus breaking balls, accentuated by his plus command. Unfortunately, there’s serious concern to whether he can handle a starter’s workload and while the career-high 73 innings was a step in the right direction in 2024, the forearm issue he dealt with at the end of the season somewhat stifled that momentum.

If Ashcraft moves to the bullpen, he could be a high leverage option capable of going multiple innings, but considering the fact that he has walked just 4% of batters over the last two seasons with impressive whiff numbers, the Pirates may give the right-hander one more shot to stick in the rotation.

7. Wyatt Sanford – SS – (CPX)

Height/Weight: 6’1″, 180 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 2nd Round (47), 2024 (PIT) | ETA: 2028

HIT	Plate Disc.	GAME POWER	RUN	FIELD	FV
35/50	40/50	30/45	60/60	45/55	45+

A well-rounded shortstop with a smooth left-handed swing, the Pirates forked over more than $500K overslot to sign Sanford away from Texas A&M.

Hitting

Starting slightly spread out with his weight stacked towards his back leg. Sanford’s hands are a little noisy in his load, but features minimal movement otherwise. While it is likely a hit over power profile, there’s natural loft in his swing and room for projection in his frame providing upside for around 15 homers.

Though he’s somewhat raw offensively, Sanford flashes a smooth swing from the left side with a decent feel for the barrel. Being younger for the class makes it easier to buy into the projection.

Defense/Speed

Sanford is an athletic shortstop who turns in plus run times. He is a natural and aggressive defender with good footwork and an above average arm, giving him a good chance to stick at the position. He should be a plus on the base paths.

Outlook

Sanford will make his pro debut in 2025, so looks have been limited, but his likelihood of sticking at shortstop paired with his physical projection and speed makes it easy to understand why the Pirates likely saw him as a first round talent. He will likely require some patience, but Sanford has the upside of a well-rounded shortstop.

8. Hunter Barco – LHP – (Double-A)

Height/Weight: 6’5″, 225 | Bat/Throw: L/L | 3rd Round (72), 2022 (PIT) | ETA: 2025

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	COMMAND	FV
55/55	55/55	45/55	40/50	45+

As Barco approached two years removed from his Tommy John surgery, his velocity crept up and with that the whiffs, putting together a strong 2024 campaign before a lower body issue halted his season at the end of July.

Arsenal

A tall, funky lefty who delivers from an unusual cross-body release that is not far off from Nick Lodolo, Barco creates difficult angles for hitters–especially lefties–helping his stuff play up. His fastball ticked up to 93.5 mph on average in 2024, touching 97 MPH. Barco saw his velocity increase slightly as the season progressed, before going down with the lower body issue. He generates more than 15 inches of horizontal movement with some ride that plays up from his horizontal release. In Barco’s starts where he sat closer to 95 MPH, his fastball looked like a plus pitch, generating a ton of whiff within the zone.

Barco’s put-away pitch is a slider at 82-85 MPH with gyro break. His ability to keep it close to zero in terms of horizontal break creates a unique amount of separation from his fastball shape wise, making it an effective whiff pitch to hitters of both handedness. He threw his slider roughly 35% of the time in 2024, holding opponents to an OPS below .600.

Rounding things out for Barco is a splitter that has flashed above average in the mid 80s, but he has struggled to consistently command it. Barco found more confidence in the pitch as the 2024 season progressed, landing it for a strike 60% of the time over his final six starts, up from his 52% strike rate in his first dozen outings.

Outlook

It’s no secret that big league hitters have struggled to hit pitchers who can pound the zone from a cross-fire delivery and while Chris Sale and Garrett Crochet may be unfair examples given the caliber of their stuff, Sean Manaea and his adjusted delivery serves as an excellent example of how stuff can play up from that slot.

Barco could benefit from introducing a slider with more sweep as well as both his gyro slider and splitter work downwards and a sweeper could be devastating to same-handed hitters. The effectiveness of his gyro slider against righties could hedge the need to develop a more consistent feel for his splitter. In the meantime, it will be important for him to throw more strikes with that third pitch to stick as a starter, though his command of his fastball and slider help his case, as does his respectable 8% walk rate in 2024.

If Barco makes a move to the bullpen, he could be a high leverage arm who lefties hardly stand a chance against (they hit .150 against him in 2024). But for now, Barco projects as a back end starter.

9. Levi Sterling – RHP – (CPX)

Height/Weight: 6’5″, 200 | Bat/Throw: R/R | CB-A Round (37), 2024 (PIT) | ETA: 2028

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	Curveball	COMMAND	FV
50/55	40/50	55/60	45/55	45/55	45+

A two-way talent in high school, Sterling is projectable right-hander with a good feel to pitch. He could turn some heads in his pro debut after progressing really nicely on the mound in his draft year.

Arsenal

Sterling sits in the low 90s with a heavy fastball that was clocked as high as 95 mph by our lead draft analyst Tyler Jennings last summer. Sterling’s smooth and athletic delivery paired with his frame provide optimism that he can sit closer to the mid 90s as he matures.

His best pitch is his changeup, which he has an advanced feel for and already looks to be an above average offering. Sterling’s sweeping curve looks like it could become an average pitch or better while his short, gyro slider is a little behind. Sterling’s arm action and pitch shapes should result in above average ground ball rates with the hope being that he sees another uptick in velocity to induce more whiff.

Outlook

While it’s easy to see why many evaluators are excited about Sterling’s upside, his athleticism on the mound and advanced feel for a changeup give him a more solid foundation than most other 6-foot-5 teenage arms. Now shifting his focus solely to the mound, Sterling is a candidate to see his stuff tick up, which would make it easy to envision him sticking in a big league rotation. Sterling will be just 18 years old for nearly the entirety of the 2025 season as he makes his pro debut.

10. Michael Burrows – RHP – (MLB)

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 185 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 11th Round (342), 2018 (PIT) | ETA: 2025

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	Curveball	COMMAND	FV
50/50	55/55	60/60	40/45	40/45	45

Burrows returned from Tommy John surgery in 2024 to some mixed results as his fastball shape appeared to be impacted. His quality of secondaries helped him overcome that to a degree, striking out 25% of batters on his way to an MLB debut at the end of the season.

Arsenal

Burrows sits in the mid 90s with his fastball from a high release point. Previously averaging nearly 20 inches of induced vertical break from his high release, Burrows generated a good amount of swing and miss at the top of the zone, but he returned from surgery hovering around 16 inches of IVB, making the fastball appear quite hittable from his high release. The pitch was hit hard in 2024, but he mitigated the step backwards with his heater with his plus changeup and above average slider.

The changeup sits in the mid 80s, averaging nearly 15 inches of horizontal movement with late fade and good depth. Opponents barely hit over .100 against it in Triple-A while yielding a 65% ground ball rate.

Burrows preferred weapon to righties is his upper 80s slider with cutter-like action. He commands it extremely well, landing it for a strike nearly 70% of the time and consistently locating it well. He picked up strong whiff numbers on the offering along with plenty of contact on the ground.

Outlook

A big key for Burrows heading into 2025 is his fastball shape. If he is able to regain the vertical life he had prior to surgery, it would make it a lot easier to envision him being a quality back end starter. If not, a move to the bullpen would presumably help Burrows tick up in the velocity department, offsetting some of the shape limitations that resulted in an OPS allowed over 1.000 on the heater in 2024. Regardless, Burrows looks like a big league arm in some capacity thanks to his quality secondaries and mid 90s velocity, but he projects best as a swingman right now.

11. Zander Mueth – RHP – (Low-A)

Height/Weight: 6’6″, 200 | Bat/Throw: R/R | CB-B Round (67), 2023 (PIT) | ETA: 2027

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	COMMAND	FV
50/60	50/60	40/50	30/40	45

Tall and slender with a low, three-quarters arm slot, Mueth makes for an uncomfortable at bat. His stuff ticked up as the draft approached, enticing the Pirates enough to give him an over-slot $1.8 million bonus at the No. 67 pick (1.1M slot value).

Mueth’s fastball sits 93-95 MPH, averaging more than 16 inches of horizontal run. The action on the pitch should make it a solid ground ball inducer while tying up righties on the inner-third. As he develops, it could become a plus fastball.

The slider plays well from his horizontal release when he is able to command it, but it was sporadically there for him in 2024, with a strike rate of just 55% and far too many non-competitive pitches to his glove side. His changeup similarly flashes potential, but is even less consistent. 6-foot-6 teenage pitchers are almost always going to be a work in progress and Mueth is no exception. His upside could make him worth the wait, but there’s considerable reliever risk.

12. Jack Brannigan – UTIL – (High-A)

Height/Weight: 6’1″, 180 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 3rd Round (83), 2022 (PIT) | ETA: 2026

HIT	Plate Disc.	GAME POWER	RUN	FIELD	FV
30/40	55/55	50/50	55/55	50/50	45

A former two-way player at Notre Dame, Brannigan is a good athlete who elevates the ball consistently. His plus arm makes him a solid piece on the left side of the infield, though he projects best at third base. Selling out for lift has helped Brannigan translate average exit velocities into good power production, but it has also come with some whiff concerns. He’s likely to be a fringy hitter at best, hedged by a great ability to recognize and lay off of spin.

Even with his actions being best suited for the hot corner, Brannigan is capable at shortstop and second base. With above average wheels as well, the former third round pick projects as a hit-over-power utility piece.

13. Tsung-Che Cheng – SS – (Triple-A)

Height/Weight: 5’7″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/R | IFA: $380K, 2019 (PIT) | ETA: 2025

HIT	Plate Disc.	GAME POWER	RUN	FIELD	FV
45/45	55/55	30/30	60/60	50/55	45

Cheng is a glove-first infielder with good speed. His offensive impact may be minimal as his contact rates are average at best and the exit velocities are well below average, but he is a selective hitter who draws a fair amount of walks and has a decent feel to pull fastballs in the air. Cheng really struggles to put the same quality of swing on secondary stuff, hurting his production. He likely projects best as a defensive-oriented bench piece.

14. David Matoma – RHP – (CPX)

Height/Weight: 6’0″, 165 | Bat/Throw: R/R | IFA: $20K – 2022 (PIT) | ETA: 2027

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	COMMAND	FV
60/70	50/55	35/45	35/45	45

Signed as a 16-year-old out of Uganda in 2022, Matoma saw his stuff explode after turning pro, running his fastball up to 101 MPH in his 16 2/3 innings of scoreless work in the Dominican Summer League during the 2023 season. He averaged closer to 96 MPH in 2024, but filled up the zone at a higher clip and still touched triple digits on occasion.

His slider has already flashed above average with the chance to become a plus pitch as he finds more consistency with it. His changeup is early in its development, but he would flash a decent one or two per outing providing hope for an average third pitch.

Considering Matoma’s size and higher-effort delivery, he comes with plenty of reliever risk, but he boasts the potential for high leverage stuff. His athleticism on the mound is impressive, and as he refines his mechanics and the rest of his body catches up to his electric arm, there’s at least some chance he could handle a starter’s workload. Matoma will be 19 years old for the entirety of the 2025 season, offering tantalizing upside.

15. Anthony Solometo – LHP – (Double-A)

Height/Weight: 6’3″, 215 | Bat/Throw: L/L | 2nd Round (37), 2021 (PIT) | ETA: 2026

FASTBALL	Slider	CHANGEUP	COMMAND	FV
40/50	50/55	35/45	40/45	40+

Solometo’s stuff backed up big time in 2024, seeing his average fastball velocity drop by nearly three MPH. He utilized both his four seamer and sinker a combined 55% of the time in 2023 and was fantastic through his first 15 starts of the season (12 in High-A, three in Double-A-), pitching to a 2.08 ERA. He somewhat limped to the finish line as his velocity dropped at the end of the season, but the hope was that was just due to him exceeding his previous career-high for innings.

Unfortunately, Solometo emerged in 2024 with his velocity down even further, averaging just 89.5 MPH. His slider was down a tick as well, lacking the sharpness and bite that made it an above average pitch in 2023. Solometo’s stuff plays up from his funky release, drawing comparisons to Madison Bumgarner’s delivery. If he can regain his 2023 stuff, Solometo has a chance to be a back end starter, but if it’s more of the same in 2025, he could start to fade from prospect relevancy.

Other Names to Consider

Billy Cook – 1B/OF – (MLB): Acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline from Baltimore for right-hander Patrick Reilly, Cook rode a tremendous 30-game stretch with Indianapolis to a big league debut at the end of the season. Cook hit all season long, logging an .849 OPS in 115 minor league games with 45 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases. He showed the best against left-handed pitching, slashing .291/.438/.544 (.982 OPS) in 130 plate appearances. Cook complemented his blend of power and speed with even greater defensive versatility in 2024, spending time at first base, second base, and all three outfield spots. While he may already be 26 years old, there’s a utility bat here that’s more than capable of handling the short side of a platoon.

Khristian Curtis – RHP – (Low-A): A 12th round pick out of Arizona State in 2023, Curtis’ college career at both Texas A&M and Arizona State was abbreviated due to ulnar transposition surgery, which switches the placing of the ulnar nerve from behind the elbow to a less physically-stressful position. After logging an ERA over 7.00 in 64.0 innings with the Sun Devils in ’23, Curtis threw to a 4.06 ERA in 75.1 IP with Low-A Bradenton in 2024. The 6-foot-5 Curtis uses his long frame to his advantage, flashing a fastball that has climbed to the upper 90s and a hard slider that works well off of it. His curveball and changeup are a work in progress, but the 22-year-old could have starter upside.

Yordany De Los Santos – SS – (Low-A): The 19-year-old De Los Santos was a $1.2 million IFA signing in the 2022 class, and he’s had a unique path over the past two seasons. After spending all of 2022 in the Dominican Summer League, De Los Santos has split each of the last two years between the Complex and Low-A Bradenton. The results in the Complex League have been excellent, slashing .340/.404/.494 in 74 games. However, his two stints with the Marauders have resulted in a .189 clip with just a .573 OPS and only logging 10 extra-base hits in his first 63 games. The toolsy infielder has seen time at both third and second recently in addition to his regular work at shortstop, but De Los Santos’ prospect value is reliant on offensive production off of the Complex in 2025.

Mitch Jebb – INF – (High-A): Jebb was Pittsburgh’s second round pick in 2023 after they took Paul Skenes in the top spot, coming off of back-to-back seasons with an OPS over .930 at Michigan State and a .356 clip in 38 games on Cape Cod the previous summer. Jebb’s first full season in professional baseball didn’t go as well as many may have hoped, slashing .253/.341/.355 in 113 games with High-A Greensboro. He still swiped 43 bags, which will always be his calling card, and logged ample time at short, second, and in center. Jebb is as unorthodox as they come at the plate, firmly choked up on the bat and slapping the ball by throwing his entire body at it. If he can find balance at the plate and a bit more impact, there could be a utility role down the line for the former Spartan.

Axiel Plaz – C – (Low-A): A true masher, Plaz signed for $350,000 out of Venezuela as part of the Pirates’ 2022 IFA class. His numbers were absurd in his first 32 games in the DSL that same year, logging a 1.206 OPS with 15 extra-base hits in 68 at-bats. Plaz underwhelmed in his first 33 game stateside in 2023, but rebounded with a .741 OPS with Low-A Bradenton this past season with 15 home runs in 76 games. Plaz may see as much time at first base as he does behind the dish, with his defensive abilities still being a work in progress. But, Plaz won’t turn 20 years old until mid August, giving him plenty of time to become a well-rounded catching prospect.

Carlson Reed – RHP – (Low-A): Reed may be considered another Pirates amateur scouting win after the shocking 2024 campaign he posted between Bradenton and Greensboro. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft out of West Virginia University, Reed was the Mountaineers’ closer and finished his Junior year with 60 strikeouts in 38.0 innings. However, Reed walked over 5.0 hitters per nine innings in his three years in Morgantown and showed minimal promise as a starting pitcher. The Pirates gave him his shot in the rotation this past season, and 108.2 IP and a 1.99 ERA later, the 22-year-old Reed could ride a mid 90s fastball and borderline-plus changeup and slider through the MiLB ranks with this newfound command.

Jhonny Severino – INF – (Low-A): Severino was originally a seven-figure IFA signing with the Brewers in 2022, but came over to the Pirates at the 2023 Trade Deadline in a Carlos Santana swap. The newly-turned 20-year-old is a bit more filled out than most younger prospects at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, and his .489 career slugging percentage and 16 home runs in 84 games in 2024 are indicative of that. Severino is splitting his time evenly between short and third base at the lower levels, and his blend of power and speed with minimal swing-and-miss issues make him an exciting follow.

Lonnie White Jr. – OF – (High-A): Along with Chandler, the Pirates overslotted another football player early in the 2021 draft with the savings they secured by selecting Henry Davis at No. 1 overall. The Penn State commit opted for professional baseball, but was limited to just 11 games in his first two years and just 161 games so far in his minor league career. White struck out this past season in Greensboro at a staggering 34.4% clip, but he managed to launch 14 home runs and swipe 15 bags in 89 games. While we’re running out of time to see what White can do on the baseball field, his tools are too eye-popping to take both your eyes off of.

Jaden Woods – LHP – (Double-A): Woods was an intriguing relief arm at the University of Georgia in 2021 and 2022, but an underwhelming Junior season as a starting pitcher dropped the left-hander to the seventh round in the 2023 draft. The Pirates took a chance on Woods’ arm talent, and the southpaw K’ed 21 and walked just three in his first 14.1 IP of professional baseball in ’23. After starting the 2024 season exceptionally well in High-A (2.13 ERA in 25.1 IP), Woods got the bump to Double-A Altoona where he hit a big of a snag. Still, Woods struck out over 11.0 hitters per nine in 2024, and his 95-97 MPH fastball paired with a solid slider could make him a lefty weapon as soon as the end of the 2025 season.