2 Pirates prospects who blew expectations out of the water this year, 1 who disappointed

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system is ranked as one of the best in the sport right now. They’ve had many prospects put together strong seasons, but not every strong season was expected. Sure, guys like Bubba Chandler and Konnor Griffin were expected to do well, but others took those moderate expectations and far exceeded them, becoming fantastic success stories.

However, there have definitely been some disappointing campaigns in the Pirates’ system as well, and not just among players who missed time or were affected by lingering injuries.

2 Pirates prospects who blew all expectations out of the water

Edward Florentino

If you followed along with the Pirates’ farm system, you likely already knew who Edward Florentino was going into this year. He was one of the Pirates’ international signees in the 2023-2024 offseason and had a strong first impression at the Dominican Summer League in ‘24, posting a .890 OPS, .445 wOBA, and 149 wRC+ throughout 190 plate appearances. But Florentino’s season has been way better than anyone could have expected.

Florentino kicked his 2025 season off in a big way, batting .347/.442/.642 at the Florida Complex League. He had more home runs during his time in the FCL (with six) than he did at the DSL (with five), despite having just 113 plate appearances. Florentino struck out under 20% of the time with a 19.5% K%, and walked at a healthy 14.2% rate. His wRC+ was just a few ticks under 200, sitting at 193.

That red-hot start got him to Bradenton in June, and he has continued to hit well. In his first big test, Florentino is slashing .262/.382/.508 with a .416 wOBA and 145 wRC+. His 23% strikeout rate may not be outstanding, but his 16.4% whiff rate is. He has continued to hit for power, with a .246 ISO, 10 home runs, 89 MPH exit velocity, and 8.6% barrel rate. There are currently only ten A-Ball hitters with a whiff rate under 20%. Florentino is the only one with an exit velocity of at least 89 MPH.

Florentino was recently added to MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list, and it’s for a good reason. He’s been outstanding this year, and while some may have had him as a breakout player before the year began, very few likely saw him becoming a top 100 prospect so soon. This is his first extended look in the minor leagues, and he is just 18 years old. Hopefully, this is just a taste of what is to come for Florentino.

Esmerlyn Valdez

Esmerlyn Valdez was another former international signee by the Bucs who inked his first contract in the 2020-2021 offseason. Valdez made his mark at Bradenton last year, when he went yard 22 times in 435 plate appearances, while posting an .815 OPS, .384 wOBA, and 130 wRC+. It may have come with the caveat of a 30.6% strikeout rate and 33.9% whiff rate, but Valdez steadily improved his game and his K% as the season went on.

Valdez still wasn’t on many prospect radars, but that all changed after his performance in Greensboro. The outfielder/first baseman started his year off at High-A, where he put up a .303/.385/.592 triple-slash over 314 plate appearances. Valdez went yard 20 times, with an ISO of .289. He walked at a solid 9.9% rate, but what was more impressive was his significantly improved 24.5% strikeout percentage. That all led to a 176 wRC+ and a promotion to Altoona.

Even though he went to a much less hitter-friendly environment and made the most significant leap in competition in the minor leagues, Valdez has continued to hit well. He has turned in a .272/.371/.443 triple-slash with a .373 wOBA, and 136 wRC+ over his first 186 trips to the plate at Altoona. Valdez continues to strikeout less than a quarter of the time, with a 24.7% K%, and has raised his walk rate to 12.9%. He has continued to hit for power, with six home runs. Valdez has been scorching hot as of late, with a .927 OPS, .418 wOBA, and 165 wRC+ since the start of August.

Valdez had a lot to prove this year. His strikeout and whiff rates were poor, even for A-Ball standards, last season. Thankfully, he is putting many of those doubts to rest. Not only is he performing well with a significantly better K%, but he’s also doing it in arguably the most hostile environment for hitters in affiliated baseball right now. He now ranks as one of the Pirates’ better prospects, coming in at No. 15 on MLB Pipeline and No. 22 on Baseball America.

1 Pirates prospect who disappointed us this year

Thomas Harrington

Of the many vaunted Pirates pitching prospects, Thomas Harrington entered 2025 as one of the supposed best. He was a consensus top 100 prospect, and for good reason. Harrington’s encore after an outstanding 2023 saw him put up a 2.61 ERA, 3.11 FIP, and 0.96 WHIP over 117.1 innings of work between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last season. The right-hander struck out about a quarter of opponents with a 25.1% K%, and only handed out a free pass at a 4.1% rate.

Harrington silently had one of the better seasons among all minor league hurlers. He ranked top 25 among all pitchers with at least 100 IP in ERA, K%-BB%, FIP, and was one of only seven to have a sub-1.00 WHIP. Only 16 total pitchers had an ERA below 3.00, with a K%-BB% of at least 20% in 100+ IP. Harrington may not have been a flamethrower, but he got by with his above-average secondaries and plus command.

Heading into 2025, some saw Harrington as a potential rotation piece for early in the year. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had a great season. In 90.2 innings at Indy, Harrington has put up a 5.34 ERA, 5.57 FIP, and 1.31 WHIP. He has nearly doubled his walk rate to 8%, while his strikeout rate has fallen to 21.7%. Home runs have given Harrington the most trouble. His HR/9 in 2024 was just 0.69, but that has skyrocketed to 1.88 this year.

Harrington has made his MLB debut, but it has only lowered confidence in the right-hander. It’s only been 8.2 innings pitched, but he has allowed 15 earned runs on 18 hits and 15 Ks. He has pitched less than an entire game’s worth of innings, but one would hope he could have pitched a little better than that. The most concerning aspect is his 86 FanGraphs Stuff+. In Harrington's defense, the Pirates haven't put him in a great position to succeed in the Major Leagues, either.

One questions where Harrington fits into the Pirates’ plans moving forward. Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller are firmly cemented into the rotation. Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft likely have the inside track for two more of the rotation spots. Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo have looked pretty solid in the Major Leagues, and Hunter Barco has out-pitched Harrington at Triple-A. At this point, Harrington looks more like a change-of-scenery candidate than the consensus top 100 prospect he was at the start of the year.