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. His finishing pitch, though, is his slider, a nasty upper-80s sweeper that generated a 50% whiff rate and 38% chase rate in 2022. This is the case with De Los Santos. 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. The FanGraphs prospect team presents their 2022 top 100 list . His carrying tool is still his defense, especially his receiving, which is crafty and advanced. Hunter Stratton, RHP He and Solometo have the same flavor of stuff wrapped in different packages. The depth-focused style of their rebuild in which the Pirates often got many mid-tier prospects back in trade rather than just one key piece has had some profound positive impacts on this system (its arguably why they have Cruz, Endy Rodriguez, Contreras, and four of their 40+ FV prospects or better on this years list) even as many of the pro departments targets have started to fizzle out at the upper levels. 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. For the second straight year, he allowed a high rate of home runs, which inflated his ERA. The depth-drive approach has extended to the amateur side of things, where the Pirates tend to spread out their bonus pool to at least a couple of over-slot prospects every year. If his defense continues to look like it did in the 2022-23 Dominican Winter League during 2023 spring training, he may quickly be repositioned on this list. 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. Jesus Castillo, SS 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. 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. Its bat-missing capabilities are limited to the bottom arm-side portion of the zone, where this two-seam-ish fastball tends to finish. Gorski had a nutty statline at Greensboro and indeed has plus raw power, but its tough to project a real role for a 25-year-old who struck out as much as he did at High- and Double-A. Still, his tendency to roll his wrists over early in his swing, breaking up his attack angle, resulted in a groundball rate above 50%. The site listed four Dodgers prospects on their list. 4/5 on a contender. If he continues missing bats at High-A in 2023, though, Pittsburgh may be forced to add him. These rankings are now available on The Board on the 2023 Fantasy Rankings tab, where you can also see the Top 120 Dynasty Rankings!. 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. Uribe, 20, is a projectable lefty with a 92-93 mph fastball and high-spin breaking ball. Ricky Tiedemann is one of the fastest-rising pitching prospects in the game. Some aspects of that optimistic projection still exist, while others have changed or are currently absent, but the tools package here is still on par with the middle of the everyday second baseman player population, and were hoping that young Peguero will polish up his games current smudges. He would slot among Priester and Ortiz on this list had he completed a totally healthy 2022. He mixed in four pitches, with his four-seamer and slider accounting for 88% of his pitches, and the changeup and two-seamer bringing up the rear. 76. Jameson Taillon / SP 4. Pittsburgh to add him to their 40-man roster after the season, indicating that hell be a big league relief option in 2023. Melendez (sitting 97) and Mateo (sitting 95) are upper-level relievers with poor control. White was a multi-sport star in high school and after initially making a verbal commitment to Clemson solely for baseball, he eventually became a two-sport commit to Penn State to play wide receiver and center field. 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. Last year, Fraizers 2021 performance at Greensboro (which included 20 homers) convinced us that he had a chance to be a big deal, but his plate discipline was a big problem against Double-A pitching. It shows above-average arm-side action on occasion, but hes only throwing it 12% of the time. ago They do not like solemeto or Gonzalez. Barcos long, low arm slot creates a flat approach angle, but hes not really inclined to climb the ladder and pitch at the top of the zone right now, instead living on the arm-side third of the plate with sink and tail. ), and some of the recent, perhaps overzealous examples (Maikel Escotto, Rodolfo Nolasco) are in this system. While likely of low impact, Solometos feel to pitch will almost certainly enable him to be a big leaguer of some kind, either a backend starter or long reliever. 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. 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). Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports. Pittsburgh Pirates Top 43 Prospects by Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin February 9, 2023 Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Top Prospects Team Lists 2023 2022 AL NL Below is an analysis. 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. A few months later, the Pirates emerged as the word-of-mouth favorite to sign him; he inked a deal for $750,000 in January. Prospects Coverage | FanGraphs Baseball In addition to sending Bradley back to Boston, the Milwaukee Brewers are also sending two of their top-30 prospects. 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. He has above-average bat-to-ball skills and very little power. He could get a cup of coffee in 2023. Thomas 2022 was a tale of two seasons. 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. 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. He projects as a quick-moving no. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations. 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. Pre-draft rumors pegged Kennedy as a tough sign given a strong commitment to LSU. It plays nicely with Flowers plus slider, and he has enough changeup feel to parachute one in against lefties once in a while. 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%. 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. Top 42 Prospects: Pittsburgh Pirates by Eric Longenhagen February 28, 2020 Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A fresh start with a new org (he was a waiver claim this offseason) might help him find a swing that produces more power. Tony Sanchez / C 6. 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. On the showcase circuit, he was less whiff-prone than is typical for a multi-sport guy from the Northeast, though he was a pull-only hitter and struggled to contact fastballs in the upper/outer quadrant of the zone. For now, hes lithe enough for third, where he has a shot to be an everyday player based largely on his power projection. 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. As FanGraphs sourced TrackMan/Hawkeye data from team personnel after the season, De Los Santos hard hit rate and peak exit velocities stood apart from most of his peers, especially when limiting the sample to the DSLs age-appropriate players. Stratton, 26, sat 94-96 mph in 2022 and has a plus-flashing slider that he rarely throws for strikes. Nicolas has consistent glove-side command of his entire repertoire, and he tends to live on that half of the plate exclusively. (2/2/2021) Solometos fastball sits in the 88-92 mph range. Every once in a while he will show you the power, and hes very good at hitting pitches out away from him to the opposite field with authority, but you can get him out if you can execute location against Gonzales, and big league pitchers often do. in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Thats hard enough to do for any batter, let alone one whose schedule also includes the grueling demands of pitching development. Axiel Plaz, C Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Scouting. Webb dealt with a forearm strain that delayed the start of his 2022 season. The top of this draft class right now is LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, who had a big weekend. We added RosterResource's Depth Charts; these reflect a team's current. He can already land his breaker in the zone and its angle should help it become a viable back-foot offering to righties. He throws precise, high-quality strikes with the heater, and the pitch has enough tailing action to have stayed off of A-ball barrels. Ryan Vilade, LF Cy Nielson, LHP If a clearer path at third base existed in this org, that might have been enough for us to do it. The husky Nunez swings really hard and generates big peak exit velocities. That fact isn't apparent on his Baseball-Reference or FanGraphs pages, but for about 48 hours, Maggi, who homered to break up the Yankees' shutout bid in the ninth inning of the Pirates' 9-1 split-squad loss on Thursday, enjoyed life in the Majors. 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. Thats the situation were projecting here. With Endy Rodriguez around, it may not matter a ton. 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. 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. His overall pitch recognition, especially against breaking balls, has become a more noticeable issue. His delivery also creates an odd angle on a mid-80s cutter/slider, which Solometo commands to his glove side. 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. He spent more of his big league time in the outfield than at his native second base. 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). Diego Cartaya (37) - Catcher Cartaya is listed a little higher in The. He barely played in 2022 due to hamstring, elbow, and hip flexor injuries that cost him all but a couple of games. None of his other pitches are above average in fact most of them are currently below average but Chen has plus command projection and a plus changeup, so hes pretty likely to pitch at the back of a big league rotation or as an innings-eating spot starter. Andres Silvera, RHP. It had exploded even further when he was seen following the pandemic shutdown, as he sat 95-97 mph and was touching 101 during the 2021 regular season. As a wrap-up, the Pirates have. Pirates 2B Termarr Johnson | 18 | A | 2025. His acrobatics and creativity at third base make him a plus defender there. Priesters four-seamer is divisive. Triolo has long been viewed as a glove-first third baseman whod likely have some big league utility, similar to D-backs third baseman Emmanuel Rivera. 4/5 starter. The 2021 edition of this list featured some carping about Eric Longenhagen ranking Gabriel Moreno in the 100, because he was the exact kind of player who might not have been highly regarded in earlier eras of public prospect evaluation but who had all the markers of future success. Unlike the other lists released yesterday, Fangraphs has not posted their top 100 prospects list yet, so we didn't already have some idea of the top of their list. Pittsburgh Pirates: Top 10 Players Under Age 26 (as of 4/1/11) 1. But at other times, he had difficulty maintaining the velocity as the innings wore on, which was compounded by his ongoing command inconsistency. His on-mound athleticism enables plus long-term command projection, though for right now Harrington really only locates his fastball to his arm side. Flowers has pitched very well in the mid-minors (he carried a 2.88 ERA with Altoona in 2022) and hes been especially good at avoiding walks for a pure relief prospect. 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. Besides Johnson and Harrington, two other 2022 draft picks made the top 30. His changeup is deceptive against batters in both boxes, but in particular against righties, who have a 40% chase rate on the offering. Maikol Escotto, 2B D-backs Dodgers Giants Padres Rockies: Offseason Tools. Chen is a very advanced righty with a deep repertoire led by his plus changeup. 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. 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. Alessandro Ercolani, RHP 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. Blanco is a gigantic corner outfield/1B prospect who had the most present raw power in the January 2022 international signing class. He still has a pretty exciting hit/power combination for a player his age, showing a proclivity for big contact to dead center and the opposite-field gap, the latter in part due to his length, which causes him to be late. Massey, going on 23, is a very loose, projectable college prospect from Minnesota. Quick backfield looks at him have his tools in more of an extra outfielder bucket for now. His breaking ball is his best pitch and he could be a lefty relief piece. His fastball remains in the mid-90s but continues to underperform in terms of its bat-missing ability due to its hittable line. It comes out of his hand from a high arm slot that looks like the kind optimized for data-friendly ride, but the pitchs downhill angle makes it less of a weapon at the letters and actually makes it very vulnerable within the strike zone. His size creates some stiffness and imbalance during his swing, which can lead to him putting suboptimal contact in play. A two-way high school player, Jones was clearly a superior prospect as a pitcher, as he was one of the most electric on-mound athletes to roll through the high school ranks over the last decade. As a high schooler, his ultra-low spin splitter seemed like the more promising pitch, but his feel for it has regressed. }); Grouped by type and listed in order of preference within each category. Terrero is a compact outfielder with a well-rounded skill set and strong rookie-level line. 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. Jones checked all but two scouting boxes as a high school pitcher. Jose Tabata / OF. There were some signs of offensive progress in 2022.