Strengths and Weaknesses of Pirates’ Farm System (+)
With recent graduations of former top prospects such as Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis and others, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system isn’t as strong as it once was.
Skenes was the consensus top pitching prospect in the sport before he burst onto the scene this season in Pittsburgh. Jones, Gonzales and Davis, though they’ve had varying levels of success in the majors, were all high draft picks under Ben Cherington.
The bottom line is that the Pirates’ top 30 prospects list in 2024 looks a lot different than it did this time last year. There is still some high-end talent. There are some signs to provide hope and some others that cause concern.
Breaking down the strengths and weakness of the Pirates’ minor-league system.
Strengths
The biggest strength is the most promising. The Pirates are rich with pitching prospects, especially in the upper levels of the organization.
Even with the graduations of Skenes and Jones, the Pirates have Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Thomas Harrington and others knocking on the door to the big leagues.
Chandler is considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and had a really good 2024 season. Ashcraft and Harrington both did some really good things on the mound this past season and are both in MLB Pipeline’s top 100.
In addition to the top three, the Pirates have other intriguing pitchers up and down the organization. These names include Hunter Barco, Levi Sterling, Zander Mueth and Michael Kennedy.
Recently, the Pirates have had a good track record in developing pitching talent. Just look at what Skenes and Jones did this past season in Pittsburgh. If they continue their track record, the Pirates could have a deep and effective starting rotation for years to come.
With so much pitching talent in the organization, the Pirates will have the ability to trade from their surplus to try and add an impact bat to their big-league roster.
The Pirates’ biggest strength in the farm system away from the mound is speed. There are a handful of players who are plus-runners in the organization and are capable of wreaking havoc on the basepaths.
Outfielder Lonnie White Jr., the former Penn State football wide receiver commit, is perhaps the fastest runner in the organization. Though injuries have limited to 161 games since he was drafted in 2021, White has successfully swiped 33 of 42 bases.
Though he may not be as fast as White, infielder Mitch Jebb proved to be a highly-effective base stealer in 2024. The 22-year-old stole an astonishing 43 bases in 113 games this past season with High-A Greensboro.
2024 first-rounder Konnor Griffin is a terrific athlete with his speed being one of his top attributes. There are others who can fly, too.
Weaknesses
The two positions the Pirates’ are lacking in the minor leagues are coincidently the two biggest needs at the big-league level.
Looking at our top 30 list, there are only three players who have at least significant time playing at first base. All three rank in the bottom half of our top 30.
Billy Cook has logged time at first base and in the outfield, but his profile plays much better at the latter. Cook proved to be a stellar defensive player during his brief showing with the Pirates this season.
The other two prospects are Tony Blanco Jr. and Edward Florentino. Blanco has huge power but might end up a designated hitter. Florentino has promise but just completed his first season in the Dominican Summer League.
The other position the Pirates are lacking impact talent is in the outfield. Griffin is capable of playing center field, but he’s expected to start his professional career next season at shortstop.
There are only three true outfielders in our top 30 list. The others either split time at other positions or missed the cut. The three are:
Drafting for need is not always wise in baseball, but given the bareness in the outfield at all four levels in the minors, the Pirates should seek outfielders in the early portion of next year’s draft.
Largely due to their lack of outfielders and first basemen, the Pirates’ don’t have much power among the bats in their system, which is troubling.
While the Pirates have had success in developing pitchers, the same can’t be said about how they’ve developed hitters.
For a small-market team like the Pirates, who don’t spend in free agency, the lifeblood is drafting and developing talent. If they can’t make improvements developing hitters, the future in Pittsburgh remains bleak.
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