Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Spotlight: Outfielder Matt Gorski

With the 57th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft the Pittsburgh Pirates selected outfielder Matt Gorski. The right-handed hitting Gorski is a native of Fisher, Indiana, and was selected by the Pirates out of Indiana University.

After quickly signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Gorski was able to take the field for his professional debut in 2019. With the short-season West Virginia Black Bears, Gorski was able to get 202 plate appearances in 49 games played. In these 202 plate appearances Gorski hit for a .223/.297/.346 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 96.

Gorski walked at a strong 9.4% with the Black Bears. However, his 23.8% strikeout rate was higher than you would like to see. His isolated power was just .123, and his extra base hit rate was 7.9% as he collected nine doubles, three home runs and two triples.

As was the case for so many minor league players, the 2020 season was a lost one for Gorski. Had there been a minor league season, the 23-year-old Gorski likely would have started the season at the Low-A level with the goal of reaching High-A, if not Double-A, by the end of the season.

When the 2021 minor league season begins it would not be a surprise to see the Pittsburgh Pirates be aggressive with Gorski. He could start the season with High-A Greensboro or Double-A Altoona. The likely location, though, is Greensboro.

Over the summer FanGraphs ranked Groski as the 34th best prospect in the Pirate farm system. Despite being just the 34th ranked prospect in the system, FanGraphs currently gives Gorski a future value of 40. A player with a FV of 40 is one who is projected to be a MLB bench player. In a lot of farm systems their 34th ranked prospect would have a FV of 30 or 35, which goes to show the depth of the system that the Pittsburgh Pirates have assembled.

While Gorski’s current FV is 40 there will be an opportunity for that to go up this season. FanGraphs gives his raw power a FV of 50 and his game power 35. His hit tool has a FV of 30. Defensively, Gorski’s fielding grades out at 45 while his speed and throwing are at a 55.

After starring with the Indiana Hoosiers, Gorski is looking to make an impact in the Pirate farm system in 2021. He is an underrated prospect who has the ability to climb the organization’s prospect rankings with a strong season. He is a Pirate prospect to keep an eye on in 2021.