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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Prospects Who Could Debut in 2021
Every season each team has top prospects that make their MLB debut. Today, we will look at three prospects who could debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021.
A major part of every MLB season is prospects making their debut. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, fans saw this in 2020 with young promising players such as budding superstar Ke’Bryan Hayes, and potential future closer Blake Cederlind. Pitcher Cody Ponce and outfielder Jared Oliva were two other players who made their debut and turned heads.
Looking ahead to 2021, the question now becomes which prospect could be next for the Pittsburgh Pirates? Which Pirate prospects could fans see make their MLB debut in 2021? Well, today, we will discuss three of them.
Before we start, it must be said that Oneil Cruz is being left off this list. If his legal issues in the Dominican Republic are cleared up and he is a full participant in spring training, which general manager Ben Cherington has said he expects to happen, then Cruz will certainly be in this discussion as well. But for now, he will be left off the list.
While it will be difficult for any prospect to debut and make the impact Hayes did this season, there are cetainly Pirate prospects with the potential of making an imapct in 2021. Starting with a hitter…
Outfielder Travis Swaggerty
With the 10th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected outfielder Travis Swaggerty out of the University of South Alabama. Entering the draft there were many people who viewed Swaggerty as possibly the best college bat in the draft. In the eyes of many, landing him at 10th overall was a bit of a steal for the Pirates.
The left-handed hitting Swaggerty quickly made an impact the professional level by hitting for a .288/.365/.453 slash line and a 140 wRC+ with the West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League in 158 plate appearances in 2018.
For the 2019 season, Swaggerty made the jump to the High-A level. After a sluggish start, he finished the season strong for the Bradenton Marauders. When the season was over, he finished with a .265/.347/.381 slash line and a 120 wRC+ in Bradenton.
Had there been a minor league season in 2020, Swaggerty would have likely start the year wtih Double-A Altoona. With a strong performance, he may have been able to reach the Tirple-A level before the end of the season. As we discussed here shortly after the coronavirus shutdown began, Swaggerty was one of the players in the Pirate farm system that could be most negatively impacted by a lack of a minor league season.
Without a season, Swaggerty spent the summer working out at the alternate training site in Altoona. Swaggerty’s ETA for the Majors remains 2021, and it would not be a surprise to see him roaming either center field or right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates at some point next season.
Left-Handed Reliever Blake Weiman
During the 2020 season two of the Pirates’ top relief pitching prospects made their MLB debut. These two relievers were the aforementioned Cederlind, as well as Nick Mears. Next in line is lefty Blake Weiman.
Weiman is the top left-handed relief pitching prospect that the Pittsburgh Pirates have in their farm system. The lefty split 2019 between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Weiman dominated with the Curve posting a 1.86 ERA and a 1.98 FIP in 19.1 innings pitched. This included a 5.5% walk rate and a healthy 32.9% strikeout rate.
After the jump to Triple-A, Weiman failed to continue the dominance he had at Double-A. his walk rate rose to 7.5% and his strikeout rate fell to 18.9%. After allowing just one home run in 19.1 innings pitched for the Curve, he allowed three in 11.1 innings pitched with the Indians. This is a big reason why Weiman’s ERA jumped to 4.63 and his FIP to 6.80.
Had the 2020 season not been shortened to 60 games, Weiman would have made his MLB debut at some point. In all honesty, he may have a legitimate shot to pitch his way into the Opening Day bullpen in spring training. Even if he does not, barring injury, he will make his MLB debut at some point in 2021. Likely that will be sooner rather than later.
Starting Pitcher Cody Bolton
Right-handed pitcher Cody Bolton appeared to be on his way to reaching the Triple-A level in 2020. Well, then COVID happened and the minor league season was canceled. Instead, he spent his season with Sawggerty and Weiman at the alternate training site in Altoona.
Bolton started the 2019 season at the High-A level. With Bradenton he overwhelmed opposing batters to the tune of a 5.9 % walk rate, 28.9% strikeout rate, one home run allowed, a 1.61 ERA, and a 1.96 FIP in 61.2 innings pitched. His 61.2 innings of work came in 12 starts.
After making the jump to Double-A, Bolton pitched 40 innings in nine starts. Pittsburgh’s 10th best prospect according to FanGraphs, saw his walk rate rise to 9.6% and his strikeout rate drop to 19.8%. He was burnt by the home run ball, allowing six long balls, to go with a 5.85 ERA and a 4.67 FIP.
Bolton’s best pitch is his fastball, but he also throws a plus slider. Both pitches have a future value of 55 according to FanGraphs. His change up, however, remains a work in progress and is currently the biggest hurdle between him and the Big Leagues.
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Like Swaggerty, Bolton has an ETA of 2021. He will start the 2021 season in the starting rotation for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, but look for him to become a rotation member for the Pittsburgh Pirates before the season is over.