Pittsburgh Pirates Top 30 Prospects 2019 Season Rewind: Travis MacGregor

After emerging as a promising young pitching prospect in 2018, Travis MacGregor missed all of 2019 due to Tommy John Surgery

With the 68th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft the Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Travis MacGregor. The prep righty was drafted out of East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

After posting poor results during his first full year of professional baseball in 2017. MacGregor had a big bounce back year for the Pirates in 2018.

During the 2018 season MacGregor made 17 starts between the Gulf Coast League Pirates and the Low-A West Virginia Power. With his performance in these 17 starts, MacGregor appeared to be turning into one of the top pitching prospects in the Pirates’ farm system.

In these 17 starts MacGregor owned a 3.18 ERA and a 3.89 FIP. He logged 70 2/3 innings in these 17 starts walking 7.3% of batters faced, striking out 26.5% and he allowed eight home runs. Honestly, with his performance in 2018 it could be argued that MacGregor should have earned a promotion to Double-A.

Late in the 2018 season, MacGregor and the Pirates received bad news. Last September, MacGregor underwent Tommy John Surgery. This would go on to cost MacGregor all of the 2019 season.

MacGregor has spent the 2019 season rehabbing from his Tommy John Surgery. After a year of rehabbing, he we will be ready to return to the mound in 2020. Hopefully, missing the 2019 season will not negatively impact MacGregor and his progression toward becoming a MLB starting pitcher.

MacGregor is now 21-years-old, and his age 20 season was a lost season. Due to his age, starting the 2020 season at Double-A would make sense. However, this could be complicated due to his surgery. If MacGregor has a healthy and successful 2020 season then that season will see him get back on the mound, log 20+ starts and at least reach the Double-A level if not start the season with the Altoona Curve.