Pittsburgh Pirates: Top Five Relief Pitching Prospects

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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 08: Nick Mears #70 of the Pittsburgh Pirates makes his major league debut in the sixth inning during the game against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on August 8, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Nick Mears

Despite being picked up as an undrafted amature free agent, Nick Mears has become the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best relief pitching prospect. Mears has pitched 50.2 innings throughout his minor league career allowing an ERA of just 3.02 with a 2.71 FIP and 1.01 WHIP.

Mears has shown the ability to get a load of swing and misses with a 37.2% strikeout rate. However this hasn’t majorly affected his control with a 9.2% walk rate. While it’s not the best walk percentage, it’s easily workable.

Mears primarily works with two pitches. Of the two, his fastball is considered an elite-level pitch. He averages out in the upper-90s, but also puts decent spin on it with 2400 RPM, giving it the 4th highest spin rate among the Pirates’ top ranked prospects on FanGraphs. They also give it a 70-grade. Mears also works with a curveball that has a 50 current and 55 future grade. It also has decent spin sitting at 2450 RPM.

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If anyone in the Pirates’ system projects as a closer, it’s Mears. He’s rocketed through the minors, starting 2018 at Low-A and reaching the MLB by 2020. However, he’s barely pitched at Double-A. 2021 will be his age 24 season. He might start the year out at Triple-A, but he may very well be the team’s closer by the end of 2021.

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