Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Breakdown: Third Baseman Jared Triolo

After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer, third baseman Jared Triolo quickly made an impact in professional baseball. What could 2020 hold for the former University of Houston star?

In the 3rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft the Pittsburgh Pirates selected third baseman Jared Triolo. The right-handed hitting Triolo was drafted out of the University of Houston. It did not take long for the ex-Cougar to make his impact in professional baseball.

After signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Triolo was assigned to short-season Low-A West Virginia of the New York-Penn League. With the Black Bears, Triolo logged 264 plate appearances in 60 games. Just like that, his professional career was off and running.

With the Black Bears, Triolo hit for a .239/.314/.389 slash line. He posted a strong 10.2% walk rate and a 18.9% walk rate, both of which are better than the MLB league average, to go with an above average 110 wRC+.

Triolo was able to flash power in 2019. He hit a pair of home runs, five triples, and 19 doubles, this led to a .151 ISO and an 11.1% extra base hit rate. Seeing Triolo flash overall quality power numbers was good to see, as one of the knocks on him coming out of college was his power.

FanGraphs, who ranks Triolo as the team’s 22nd best prospect, gives his raw power a 50 grade, which grades out as average.

So, if there is a 2020 minor league season, what will it hold for Triolo? Being a college hitter, Triolo is more advanced than many hitters in the New York-Penn League. Due to this, Triolo would be expected to spend the year with a full-season team.

Odds are, Triolo would start the season with full-season Low-A Greensboro. However, with a strong performance the recently turned 22-year-old would likely find himself with High-A Bradenton by the end of the season.

If there is a minor league season in 2020, Triolo will look to continue to work on his hitting tool. You would like to see his 24.6% line drive rate increase in 2020, while his 38.0% ground ball rate goes down a few ticks.

He will also work to remain a strong defensive prospect. FanGraphs gives his fielding a 50 grade and his throwing a grade of 55. This sorts out as a slightly above average defensive prospect at the hot corner.

Triolo was a personal favorite from the Pittsburgh Pirates 2019 draft class. If there is a minor league season in 2020, hopefully he will continue to improve and will find himself at High-A by the end of the season.