Pirates Top 30 Prospects No. 29: Shalin Polanco Slides After Down Year

This is one in a series of stories breaking down PBN’s Top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.

Shalin Polanco was the crown jewel of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2021 international signing class. The Pirates gave Polanco, who was considered the 10th-best international prospect during that year’s cycle, a whopping $2.35 million.

Polanco’s first two seasons of professional baseball were fairly pedestrian though he did show improvement from his Dominican Summer League showing in 2021 to the Florida Complex League the following year.

But the native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic made significant strides offensively with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders during the 2023 season. In 70 games with the Marauders, Polanco slashed .242/.323/.439 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs, 45 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.

It looked like Polanco was emerging as a legitimate Pirates’ prospect and living up to his once-considered high potential following his showing, but the 20-year-old regressed in 2024.

Polanco again spent the season with Bradenton, playing in a career-high 104 games. Despite the increased playing time, Polanco hit just .191 with a .280 on-base percentage and a lowly .623 OPS. 33 of his 73 hits went for extra bases — 19 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs. He drove in 49 runs and stole 11 bases but was caught nine times.

Strikeouts were a big reason for Polanco’s difficult season. He struck out 134 times in 432 plate appearances. It’s a troubling sign for the left-handed hitting Polanco, who has seen his strikeout rate increase in each of his four seasons to 31% this past year.

A common theme that is becoming more and more alarming in the Pirates’ minor league system is the organization’s difficulties with developing position player prospects. As of now, Polanco is no exception.

While Polanco hasn’t lived up to the hype at the plate, he has shown flashes in other areas. He’s still a plus-runner and is considered a solid defender with a good arm. He has experience at all three outfield positions with the bulk of his time coming as a center fielder.

Still young, there’s still some hope for Polanco, even if he’s no longer as promising as he was when he initially signed by the Pirates. But 2025 is going to be an important year for Polanco as he looks to put a rough 2024 campaign out of mind.