Pittsburgh Pirates: Ranking the Prospects Acquired This Offseason

Wil Crowe

Right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe was part of the Bell trade. Crowe was a 2nd round pick by the Washington Nationals in 2017. His first full season of pro-ball in 2018 when he pitched 116.1 innings with the Nats’ Low-A, High-A and Double-A affiliates. All told, he put up a solid 3.40 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, albeit with a less impressive 4.03 FIP. Crowe did only allow home runs at a 0.8 HR/9 rate, but put up a weak 1.96 K/BB ratio.

2019 was his last full pro season. While Crowe had a better ERA than FIP in 2018, the numbers flipped in 2019. He put up a 4.70 ERA, but a 3.75 FIP. Crowe pitched really well at Double-A, having a 3.87 ERA, 3.15 FIP and 3.05 xFIP. But when he was moved to Triple-A, he surrendered 37 earned runs in 54 innings.

Crowe has a four-pitch mix. That includes a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball and change up. The right-hander isn’t an overpowering pitcher with his fastball only averaging out in the 91-94 MPH range, but putting decent spin on it with 2350 RPM in 2019. Meanwhile, his slider averages out with upwards of 2800 RPM.

Although he doesn’t project as an ace or high end starter, he could be a solid, durable back of the rotation arm. He hasn’t shown elite control, nor does he rack up high strikeout totals. But he does limit home runs to a fair degree. Although, he is a bit old for a prospect as the 2021 season will be his age-26 season. He’ll likely find a spot on the 26-man roster to start this upcoming season.