Pittsburgh Pirates: What Liover Peguero Needs to Develop

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired a shortstop prospect from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  What does he need to do to develop for him to become a top prospect?

It was a matter of when, not if, it came to Ben Cherington trading Starling Marte.  Marte, whose contract expires after the 2021 season, was viewed as the big trade chip for the new Front Office of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  With an average farm system and the major league team looking like they are a few years away from competing, it made sense to sell high on Marte.

One of the main reasons the trade took so long to develop was due to the fact that Ben Cherington was aiming for a really strong return.  He wanted two top prospects back for his all-star caliber outfielder.  The Mets, who seemed to be the favorite, continued to come up short with their offers and, finally, Cherington received the right offer from the Diamondbacks.

Coming back in the trade were two teenage, but high upside prospects in Brennan Malone and Liover Peguero.  Malone was a first-round pick in 2019 and obviously is just getting his career underway (eventually).  Peguero on the other hand, signed with the Diamondbacks as a 16-year-old and had a few seasons under his belt.

Peguero has all the tools one would want from a middle infielder.  He is very athletic, has quick hands and feet, and a strong arm.  Furthermore, he projects well physically standing at 61” and weighing around 170 pounds, giving him plenty of room to continue to fill out into.  In terms of offense, Peguero has room to grow but is still considered an advanced hitter for his age.

In total, Peguero has played in 101 professional games over the last two seasons.  He has a career slash line of .299/.354/.428, overall pretty good for a teenage prospect.  Also, he has only struck out 19.5 percent of the time, which in today’s baseball, anything under 20 percent is really good to see.  This is once again especially true for a teenage prospect.  Most prospects that young are still figuring out their approach at the plate, the zone, and in general, adjusting to professional ball and not trying to do too much.

Peguero seems like he is really advanced for his age, which is likely why Ben Cherington sought him in the trade, though there are areas for him to improve.  Right now Peguero is considered a borderline top 100 prospect and for good reason.  He is good in the field and has put up really respectable baseline numbers at the plate.

However, with his 6’1” frame and weight being well below 200 pounds, Peguero could look to add more power to his game.  As he gets older and physically matures he will naturally add some power.  Right now he only has six career home runs, which isn’t bad but only puts him around 10 homers over 162 games.  Overall his career OPS is .780, which is slightly below that .800 mark that fans like to see.

There are a lot of positives other than just the hope that he continues to get bigger and stronger.  First and foremost, he has 28 extra-base hits in his 101 games, which rounds out to be a pace of 45 extra-base hits over 162 games which is a good starting point.  One of the best attributes Peguero has is his fast hands, given that he has positive raw power and a projectable frame, there is no reason that he cannot hit 15+ home runs down the road.

Liover Peguero has the chance to be a really good player.  The early-on player comparison for him is Phillies infielder Jean Segura.  Despite floating around between a few different teams, Segura has had a pretty good career.  Still, Segura only stands at 5’10” which has limited his overall power ceiling.  If Peguero can fill into that 6’1” frame and add a little more power, then he will be a true potential five tool player and become a top 100 Prospect in the MLB.