Pittsburgh Pirates Minors: Three Outfield Prospects to Watch in 2020

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Pittsburgh Pirates
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

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.