Top 15 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects

Draft Nation authored our first Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Guide before the start of the 2024 baseball season. Since that time, much has changed in the Pirates organization in regards to the prospects rankings.

Here is what our top 15 looked like before the season:

1- RHP, Paul Skenes

2- 2B, Termarr Johnson

3-RHP, Bubba Chandler

4- RHP, Jared Jones

5- LHP, Antony Solometo

6- RHP, Quinn Priester

7-2B, Nick Gonzales

8- RHP, Mike Burrows

9- OF, Lonnie White

10- RHP, Braxton Ashcraft

11- LHP, Michael Kennedy

12- RHP, Thomas Harrington

13- IF, Mitch Jebb

14- LHP, Hunter Barco

15- RHP, Jun-Seok Shim

Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Nick Gonzales are now playing big time roles for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Skenes started in the All-Star Game and is 6-0 in his first 11 big league starts. Jones is 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA and has looked dominant at times. Gonzales was called up on May 9th and has been an RBI machine, hitting .265 with five home runs and 35 RBI in just 57 games.

With the 2024 MLB draft in our rearview mirror, Draft Nation is going to list our updated top 15 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects. This list was compiled by David Finoli of Draft Nation.

15- SS Tsung-Cheng

Pre-season ranking: 17th

Cheng is hitting .229 with nine homers and 13 stolen bases for AA-Altoona. The speedy shortstop has shown some power down at AA, and is starting to get back to the walk rate he was producing in the lower minors. He is still adjusting to AA ball and his strikeout totals are still higher than at any other point in his development. Cheng, 22, will look to finish strong at Altoona and should start 2025 in Indianapolis.

14- IF Mitch Jebb

Pre-season ranking: 13th

After his selection last year out of Michigan State, Jebb got off to a very hot start for the Bradenton Marauders in low-A. Jebb started 2024 at high-A Greensboro and has had some growing pains for sure. He is hitting .225 with six home runs and has stolen 24 bases in 27 attempts. He has split time between second base and shortstop and many in the organization think his athleticism can lead to a position change to center field. Jebb is a hitter who can use all fields and is a threat to beat out any ground ball he puts in play. He has the makings of a future lead off hitter who can set the table.

13- 3B Jack Brannigan

Pre-season ranking: 19th

Brannigan has cut down on his strikeout rate percentage from last year but has also seen a slight dip in his power. Last season after getting called up to Greensboro half way through the season, he hit .299 with 12 homers, but struck out 58 times in just 178 at bats.

Brannigan started 2024 in Greensboro and has hit .224 with 15 bombs in 254 at bats. The right handed power hitter out of Notre Dame has played some shortstop, third base, and second base since joining the organization. His right-handed power is something the Pirates lack, and his versatility will be a welcomed addition. Though his numbers are a little down this season, he is still one of the better projected bats in the organization.

12- SS Wyatt Sanford

Pre-season ranking: N/A

Sanford was just picked in the second round (47th overall) in last week's MLB draft. Sanford is arguably the best defensive shortstop in this year’s class. Sanford stands at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds and hits left-handed. His speed benefits him in the field and on the basepaths. He is committed to Texas A&M, but expected to sign with Pittsburgh. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills and should develop some power as he fills out.

11- 3B/OF Charles McAdoo

Pre-season ranking: 47th

McAdoo is our second highest riser from the pre-season and for good reason. He has been the most consistent hitter in the organization. He started the season at high-A for Greensboro, and hit .336 with nine home runs in 223 at bats. He got promoted to Altoona and started hitting right away, he is hitting .279 with four homers and has 11 walks in 79 plate appearances. Since being drafted in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB draft out of San Jose State, McAdoo has hit .318 in 451 plate appearances. His positional depth is a positive and the fact that he has played some outfield may quicken his rise through the organization.

10- IF Yordany De Los Santos

Pre-season ranking: 16th

De los Santos has dominated the rookie league and appears ready for a promotion to Bradenton in single A ball. He is still only 19 years old and 170 pounds, but has been a consistent hitter this season and has shown some pop. He is hitting .349 with five home runs. He has elite speed on the base paths and has stolen 19 bases in 51 games. It will be interesting to see how he does after he gets promoted. He struggled in 2023 at Bradenton, when he hit .184 in 38 games. Defensively he is listed as a shortstop, but has also played second base and third base confidently.

9- RHP Zander Mueth

Pre-season ranking: 18th

19-year-old Mueth has been dominating the Florida Complex League in his first taste of professional ball. He has a 5-1 record with a 1.69 ERA in 10 starts. He has struck out 48 in 42.2 innings, while only giving up 32 hits, including one homer. The 6-foot-6 power pitcher is another big arm in the organization. His fastball tops out at 98-mph and he has the potential to touch triple digits as he continues to fill out. Look for Mueth to get a promotion in the second half of the 2024 season.

8- LHP Hunter Barco

Pre-season ranking: 14th

The 23-year-old Barco has had a huge first half of the season for high-A Greensboro. He is 4-1, with a 3.34 ERA. He has done an exceptional job of hitting spots and sets up hitters well with his secondary pitches. His crossbody delivery makes his low 90’s fastball appear faster. He has a solid feel for his changeup and a plus-average slider he uses to finish off hitters. Barco should be a candidate to start some games at Altoona in the second half of the season.

7- RHP Patrick Reilly

Pre-season ranking: 44th

Since being drafted in the fifth round out of Vanderbilt in the 2023 draft, Reilly has continually gotten stronger and is our biggest riser from the off-season rankings. This season at high-A Greensboro, he is 5-4 with a 3.87 ERA. He has only given up 54 hits in 79 innings pitched, while striking out 97 and walking 39. His fastball sits around 95, with the capability to hit as high as 98-mph. Reilly, like Hunter Barco, could see a promotion to Double-A Altoona in the second half of this season.

6- LHP Anthony Solometo

Pre-season ranking: 5th

Solometo was coming off a strong season in 2023 that saw him jump two rungs of the organizational ladder, and finished his season in Altoona. However, this season Solometo ran into some control issues in Altoona and was transferred to the Development List to work on his issues. 

In 13 games this season for Double-A Altoona (10 starts), the 21-year-old left-hander has gone 0-4 with a 6.27 ERA. His longest outing of the year was just four innings, which just happens to be his first start of the season. The organization is still high on Solometo and considers this just a bump in the road. His unorthodox delivery and leg kick is what makes him so unique, but could also be the reason for control problems. Hopefully Solometo gets back to the Altoona Curve rotation by season’s end. He is only 21-years-old, so time is still on his side.

5- SS/OF Konner Griffin

Pre-season ranking: N/A

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Griffin with the ninth overall pick in this past MLB draft. Griffin was the first high school player selected in the draft, and is said to have the highest ceiling of any prospect in the draft. He is 6-foot-4 and can absolutely fly, and projects to be a future center fielder, a position the Pirates lack depth at. Griffin has the ability to be a future No. 1 prospect in the organization and at only 18-years-old, he will be fun to watch grow. Griffin is committed to LSU, and at the time of this writing has not signed yet with Pittsburgh.

4- RHP Braxton Ashcroft

Pre-season ranking: 10th

Ashcroft is one the more exciting prospects in the organization. Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021, and missing all of 2022, Ashcroft has shown the ability to pitch at each rung of the ladder. This season he started at Double-A Altoona, and went 2-2 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 starts. He was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis in June and has been lights out in his first three starts. Ashcroft is 1-0 with a miniscule 0.49 ERA, but has also spent two different stints on the IL

3- 2B Termarr Johnson

Pre-season ranking: 2nd

The 20-year-old Johnson got off to a very slow start at High-A Greensboro this season, spending the first couple months hitting under .200. Over his past 30 games he has slashed .302/.415/.474 with five home runs and 18 RBI. With Nick Gonzales performing well for the Pirates, it will be interesting in how the Pirates view Johnson moving forward. Is he trade bait?, or will he be the future at second base?

2- RHP Thomas Harrington

Pre-season ranking: 12th

The 23-year-old Harrington started at Double-A Altoona this season, and did not look out of place. In 10 starts, he is 2-2 with a 2.54 ERA. His control has been impeccable, walking only eight hitters in 56.2 innings, while striking out 59. He has a four-pitch arsenal and can hit his spots. Harrington has consistently gotten results at each level of competition and his plus stuff could be in Indianapolis by season’s end.

1- RHP Bubba Chandler

Pre-season rank: 3rd

The Pirates took Chandler in the third round out of North Oconee High School in Georgia, snatching him from Clemson University. The two-way star has settled in as a starting pitcher and after his first half in Altoona, the 21-year-old may be joining Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller even sooner than anybody anticipated. Chandler is 5-5 with a 3.53 ERA and has stuck out 77 batters in 63.2 innings. Chandler could be a part of the Pirates rotation as early as 2025. His fastball hits 99-mph and he has shown the ability to control his arsenal of pitches, which includes a plus-slider and a changeup which improves each season.