Pittsburgh Pirates Minors: Three Outfield Prospects to Watch in 2020

The Pittsburgh Pirates have always had a lot of intriguing outfield prospects.  There are three that are in the lower minors to keep an eye on in 2020.

One thing that the Pittsburgh Pirates have become known for over the last ten years or so has been their ability to find outfield prospects.  Former General Manager Neal Huntington always seemed to focus on drafting highly athletic and toolsy outfielders.  Unfortunately, a lot of those prospects never reached their full potential or went on to find success somewhere else.

Still, the Pittsburgh Pirates have plenty of young outfield prospects who could turn into potential impact prospects.  Right now, the Bucs have two outfielders rated in their top 10 prospects: Travis Swaggerty, who was their first-round pick in 2018, and Cal Mitchell, who was a second-round pick in 2017.  Both are obviously on the team’s and fan’s radar as they continue to move up the minor league system.

However, more and more teams are finding production from the lower level minors.  The Pittsburgh Pirates need to start finding higher-level talent outside of just top draft picks and International signings.  With that being said, it already appears that the new regime is going to focus on finding the best overall talent rather than closer to MLB ready, i.e. the Starling Marte trade.  Who are a few younger outfield prospects to watch as they enter the 2020 season?

Jasiah Dixon may be a name that Pittsburgh Pirates fans are familiar with already.  He was drafted by the Bucs in the 23rd round last season out of Orange Lutheran High School.  Although he was taken in a late-round, Dixon was considered a high upside talent that had a top 10 round grade. However, Dixon also had a commitment to the University of Southern California (USC) and being a California native, the belief was he would be tough to sign.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were able to work out a deal with the highly athletic outfielder for a bonus of $225,000 dollars, which cost the team an additional $125,000 over the slot value for a pick after the 10th round.  The team had to save money elsewhere in the draft to be able to meet Dixon’s asking price.

Obviously, the team felt he was worth trying to get into their organization and one can see why.  Dixon is already considered to be a plus runner and has good gap-to-gap power that will likely keep developing as he grows into his 6’0”, 180-pound frame.  Also, playing high school ball in California allowed him to play ball year-round and against some of the best competition on the West Coast.

Dixon quickly showed why the Pittsburgh Pirates worked so hard to get a deal done.  He made his professional début last year playing for the team’s Gulf Coast League affiliate and appeared in 22 games.  He was the GCL affiliate’s best hitter, batting .329/.417/.425  with five doubles and a triple.  Dixon also showed strong plate discipline only striking out 11 times while drawing 10 walks.  He also had a chance to show off his plus-speed swiping eight bags in 11 attempts.

Dixon will be 18 most of this season and it is hard to say if the new regime will take an aggressive approach with him by sending him to Low-A Greensboro.  Being he is already showing strong plate discipline and plus tools, they may believe that he ready for full-season ball.  If not, Dixon will head to Pirate City and continue to train until Short-Season ball starts.

The last outfield prospect to keep an eye on in 2020 is Dominican Republic native Sergio Campana.  Campana is turning 18 years old at the end of March and 2020 will be just his second professional season. The Bucs signed Campana for a bonus of $500,000, which was their second-largest bonus of the 2018 International signing period, and he was considered on of the top outfield prospects.

Just like the other two outfielders, Campana is projectable because of his frame and athleticism. The 17-year-old stands at 6’1” and weighs around 170 pounds.  He is a right-handed hitter and thrower and probably projects better as a left-fielder when it is all said and done.  Still, he has the speed to be an above-average defender.

Overall, Campana had a really solid showing in his first professional season.  He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates Dominican Summer League affiliate, which is the lowest level minors.  The outfielder appeared in 45 games and put together a solid slash line of .281/.362/.374 with four doubles and six triples.  Campana’s speed obviously played having six triples, but he also stole a really impressive 24 bases.

Campana will not be 18 until the of March and with only one professional season under his belt he likely will not move up to full-season ball just yet.  Campana will likely head to the Gulf Coast League or Short-Season Bristol when their seasons start at the beginning of summer.

It would be really good news for the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system if all three of these players continued to progress and build on their success in 2019. All three are very young but have the tools to become high upside prospects for the organization.