Demilio: Under-the-Radar Prospects on Pirates Spring Breakout Roster I’m Anxious to See
The Pittsburgh Pirates released their preliminary roster for the annual Spring Breakout game, which this year, will be held on March 20 against prospects from the Detroit Tigers at 7:35 p.m. ET.
There are a handful of notable names who were part of the roster, including top prospect Konnor Griffin, right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, and a pair of recent first-round draft picks in Termarr Johnson and Seth Hernandez. As I side note, I can’t wait to see Hernandez compete — potentially in this game — but all season for the first time.
But while the notable names comprise part of an extensive roster, there are a handful of others who aren’t quite as well-known I’m looking forward to seeing.
RHP Brandan Bidois
The Pirates added Bidois to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The 24-year-old is at spring training competing for a spot in the Pirates’ bullpen on the Opening Day roster, and his chances of making the team at least somewhat improved after Kyle Nicolas was traded.
Bidois pitched for four different levels last season — one appearance in Low-A, 16 in High-A, 14 in Double-A and nine in Triple-A — and combined to go a perfect 8-0 with a miniscule 0.74 ERA, seven saves and 69 strikeouts in 61 innings. Opponents only managed 22 hits against him, none of which were home runs.
1B/DH Tony Blanco Jr.
If you see someone during the Spring Breakout game who looks like he should be playing either basketball or football, it’s very likely Blanco. The 20-year-old stands a whopping 6-foot-7 and 243 pounds and packs plenty of power.
Blanco appeared in 28 games last season for the Bradenton Marauders and slugged seven home runs. He finished with a .491 slugging percentage and drove in 21 runs. Blanco is still raw and has quite a bit to work on but he is fun to watch.
RHP Khristian Curtis
The Pirates have no shortage of intriguing arms in their system with the aforementioned Chandler and Hernandez the most notable of the group. While Curtis hasn’t received as much recognition, he’s been very solid and is coming off a really good year.
A 12th-round pick of the Pirates in 2023, Curtis made 26 starts with High-A Greensboro and went 8-5 with a 3.98 ERA in a very hitter-friendly league. In 108.2 innings, the 23-year-old allowed 91 hits, walked 46 and struck out 116. He also threw two-perfect innings with three strikeouts in his Double-A debut to end the year.
3B Murf Gray
Gray is one of the newer members of the organization after he was selected in the second round of last year’s draft out of Fresno State.
Like a handful of others who were drafted last year, Gray is yet to make his professional debut. But he did slash .324/.398/.639 with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 73 RBI in 60 games as a junior in college. There’s some right-handed pop there.
SS Darell Morel
If you’re gonna buy stock in any player in the lower levels of the minor leagues, Morel might be your guy. The Pirates swooped in and signed the native of the Dominican Republic for a hefty $1.8 million after the Los Angeles Dodgers pivoted to starting pitcher Roki Sasaki.
Morel, who has solid tools across the board, made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League last season and played in 50 games. He slashed .287/.425/.414 with nine doubles, four triples, one home run, 25 RBI and 26 steals. Still only 18 years old, he has real potential.
1B Callan Moss
If I’m being perfectly honest, I didn’t think much of the Pirates trade that sent Bailey Falter to the Kansas City Royals at last year’s trade deadline. But Moss — who was acquired alongside LHP Evan Sisk — has my attention.
The 22-year-old played in 30 games with Greensboro after he joined the organization and hit a ridiculous .339 with a .993 OPS, eight doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI. The South Atlantic League is kind to hitters, and I have a rule that I usually don’t fully judge hitting prospects until they reach Double-A, but I’m looking forward to see if Moss can continue to perform at a high level.
LHP Reinold Navarro
Don’t let Navarro’s 6-foot-flat, 176-pound frame fool you — he throws some heat and has a couple good pitches. He also has some major command issues but he’s still young and is continuing to learn how to pitch.
Navarro began the 2025 season in the Florida Complex League and pitched to a 2.81 ERA across 25.2 innings. During that time, he walked 20 batters but only allowed nine hits and struck out 47. He was promoted to Bradenton and proceeded to walk a staggering 20 batters in just 6.1 innings but again was tough to hit (three hits allowed) and struck out 14.
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