Four Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect To Play In The Arizona Fall League

After they attempt to help the Altoona Curve win a second consecutive Eastern League Championship, four members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Double-A affiliate will participate in the Arizona Fall Leauge

Every offseason the Arizona Fall League features some of the top prospects in all of baseball. This year, a quartet of prospects will represent the Pittsburgh Pirates in the AFL.

Shortstop Cole Tucker, first baseman Will Craig, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, and pitcher Dario Agrazal are these four prospects. All four of these players currently play for the Double-A Altoona Curve.

Tucker’s bat will be worth watching in the AFL. While the 22-year-old former first-round draft pick has the tools to be a gold glove caliber shortstop, his offense is still a work in progress. He owns a .256/.332/.350/.682 slash line, .313 wOBA, and a 92 wRC+ for Altoona this season. If Tuckers is going to live up to his first-round billing, he needs to develop more power to go with his healthy 10.4% lifetime walk rate in the minors.

After struggling to hit for power in his first two seasons of pro ball, Craig, a 2016 first-round pick, has watched his power explode this season. After owning a .362 slugging percentage and a .083 ISO at Low-A and a .372 slugging with a .100 ISO at High-A, he has improved to a .448 slugging and .203 ISO in his first season at Double-A.

Is this a fluke? Craig will look to prove it is not in the AFL this offseason.

Reynolds came to the Pirates in the Andrew McCutchen trade, along with Kyle Crick. Despite missing time due to a broken hamate bone earlier in the season, the switch-hitting outfielder has had a fine season for the Curve.

In 359 plate appearances, he owns a .303/.382/.442/.824 slash line, a .369 wOBA, and a 129 wRC+. Assuming Reynolds finishes his season strong and plays well in the AFL, odds are, he will start his 2019 season on the doorstep of the MLB level as a member of the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

Finally, there is Agrazal who is the lone pitcher of the group.

Agrazal has tossed 82 2/3 innings in 14 games (13 starts) this season. Using his power sinker he has allowed just 78 hits, four home runs, he owns a 3.6% walk rate, and a 15.3% strikeout rate. This has led to Agrazal owning a 3.05 ERA and a 3.37 FIP.

Agrazal is already on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, and, like Reynolds, could begin 2019 at the Triple-A level. If not for an injury earlier this season, he may already be in Indianapolis. Do not be surprised to see Agrazal reach Pittsburgh at some point in 2019.

*- All stats were as of entering play on Thursday