Pittsburgh Pirates: Examining MLB Pipeline’s 2020 Top 30 List

Acquired Prospects

Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates did not make as many moves as fans thought.  The expectation for some was the team would trade away anything of value.  Instead, Ben Cherington took a soft approach and made only one real notable trade, sending Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Coming back in the trade were two teenage prospects by the names of Liover Peguero and Brennan Malone.  At first many were disappointed that neither prospect was on a top 100 list.  However, the opinion quickly changed when national reporters praised the two teenage prospects and touted them as future top 100 prospects.

Peguero comes into the Pittsburgh Pirates organization ranked as the team’s fifth rated prospect on the new list.  He is a rising prospect who was ranked number nine for the Diamondbacks last season.  The 6’2” right-handed hitting shortstop hit .326/.382/.485 across 60 games in the Diamondbacks’ organization.

Right-handed starting pitcher Brennan Malone ranks as the Bucs seventh best prospect.  Malone, of course, fills a bigger need in the Pittsburgh Pirates system as a starting pitcher.  He was considered one of the top three prep pitching prospects in the 2019 MLB Draft.  It is pretty obvious why he is ranked so highly, being he has a projectable 6’4” frame and a fastball that already touches 97.  He only pitched in eight innings last season, giving up four runs but striking out eight.