Pittsburgh Pirates: Top Five Relief Pitching Prospects

The strength of the Pittsburgh Pirates during their 2013-2015 postseason run was their bullpen. When the team is ready to contend again, what could the future of the bullpen look like?

When the Pittsburgh Pirates made the postseason in three straight seasons from 2013-2015 their biggest strength was arguably their bullpen. Guys like Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Jared Hughes, Justin Wilson, Arquimedes Caminero and Antonio Bastardo all had at least one productive season in that three year span. Even more under the radar arms like Vin Mazzaro, Jeanmar Gomez and Joe Blanton were key role-players to securing many victories.

Because of how strong the ‘pen was, they earned the nickname ‘The Shark Tank’. In a few years, the Pittsburgh Pirates, due to their highly ranked farm system, could have a core that will be front runners in the National League Central.

On the position player side of things, the team has Nick Gonzales, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, Travis Swaggerty, Mason Martin, Liover Peguero and in the rotation could see Tahnaj Thomas, the highly touted Quinn Priester, Brennan Malone, Carmen Mlodzinski and Cody Bolton, among others.

The Pittsburgh Pirates also have a handful of notable potential bullpen prospects. With the bullpen always being important, let’s take a look at the organization’s five best relief pitching prospects.