Pittsburgh Pirates Minors: Three Overlooked Prospects

BRADENTON, FL - FEBRUARY 19: Jared Oliva #76 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a photo during the Pirates' photo day on February 19, 2020 at Pirate City in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
BRADENTON, FL - FEBRUARY 19: Jared Oliva #76 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a photo during the Pirates' photo day on February 19, 2020 at Pirate City in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 23: A general view of the field during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on August 23, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***7
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 23: A general view of the field during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on August 23, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***7 /

Outfielder Sammy Siani

Outfielder Sammy Siani was a first-round compensation pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019. He was taken with the 37th overall selection. Siani was taken out of William Penn Charter High School in Philadelphia.

Despite now being overshadowed by the likes of Travis Swaggerty, Hudson Head and Canaan Smith-Njigba as some of the Pirates’ more popular outfield prospects, Siani still ranked as a top 15 organization prospect by MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs at the end of 2020.

Siani appeared in 39 games at the Bucs’ Gulf Coast League affiliate and collected 164 plate appearances. Overall, he posted a solid .241/.372/.308 line, 107 wRC+ and .345 wOBA. While he didn’t show much power with just six extra base hits (3 doubles and triples) and a .068 isolated slugging percentage, he walked 15..9% of the time.

Next. 2021 Catcher Outlook. dark

Overall, Siani is seen as a hit-over-power type batter. In MLB Pipeline’s summary of him, Siani made consistent contact in high school and the Pittsburgh Pirates liked his ability to barrel up the ball. Pipeline sees his hit tool as a 55-grade ability. He also runs really well with a 55 run grade and swiping 5 bases in 5 attempts in 2019. While he isn’t seen as a big power hitter by any means, he has a 6-foot frame at 195 pounds and just turned 20. He still could add some power to get it to an average level.