Pirates

Pirates Set Minor League Rosters to Start 2024

Published

4 weeks ago

April 4, 2024

Termarr Johnson, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pirates prospects

Triple-A Indianapolis’ season is already underway, but opening day for Double-A Altoona, High-A Greensboro and Low-A Bradenton comes on Friday.

With the start of a new year of minor league baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates have announced their minor league rosters.

Indianapolis’ roster has already been known. Top prospect Paul Skenes is the highlight for the Indians. The Pirates’ top prospect threw three perfect innings in his Triple-A Indianapolis.

Other notable names in Triple-A include Nick Gonzales, Quinn Priester, Liover Pegeuro, Joshua Palacios and others.

Here’s how the rosters for Altoona, Greensboro and Bradenton look to start the year.

Double-A Altoona

On the pitching side of things, the Curve will have several of the Pirates’ top pitching prospects. Left-hander Anthony Solometo and righties Bubba Chandler and Braxton Aschraft will begin the year in Double-A.

Solometo is considered the Pirates’ fourth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. Chandler is ranked No. 5 and Ashcraft checks in at No. 7. The trio of pitchers all finished last season in Altoona.

Position-player wise, a handful of the Pirates’ top 30 prospects are on the Curve’s initial roster, including infielder Tsung-Che Cheng and outfielder Jase Bowen.

Right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington will also report to Altoona, but he will begin the season on the seven-day injured list with a shoulder injury.

Pittsburgh-native and Bethel Park High School graduate Justin Meis also starts the year in his home state with the Curve.

High-A Greensboro

The most notable name starting the year in Greensboro is Termarr Johnson, the Pirates’ second-best prospect. Johnson was drafted fourth overall by the Pirates in the 2022 draft.

Joining Johnson in the Grasshoppers’ infield will be Mitch Jebb, who is considered the Pirates’ second-best position-player prospect. The Pirates made Jebb their second-round selection in last year’s draft.

Other notable position players for Greensboro include outfielder Lonnie White Jr. and infielder Jack Brannigan.

Left-handed starter Hunter Barco impressed during his first taste of professional baseball last year and will help anchor the rotation. Other pitchers of note include J.P. Massey, who represented the Pirates in last year’s future’s game, as well as 2023 draft picks Jaden Woods and Patrick Reilly.

Low-A Bradenton

Though there might not be as many household names as some of the other levels, there’s no shortage of upside on Bradenton’s roster.

Left-handed pitcher Michael Kennedy had a 2.12 ERA and struck out 63 batters in 46.2 innings in his first season in 2023.

Corner infielder Garret Forrester, outfielder Shalin Polanco and catcher Omar Alfonzo, all of whom are top 30 prospects in the system, will be in a Marauders; uniform on Friday.

The full list of each affiliate’s roster can be found below.