Pittsburgh Pirates: Ranking the Prospects Acquired This Offseason

Roansy Contreras

Roansy Contreras was one of the multiple players in the Taillon trade. The right-hander was an international signing in 2016 like many of the pieces of the package for Taillon. He pitched the most innings of his pro career in 2019 tossing 132.1 in 24 games with the New York Yankees’ Low-A affiliate.

Contreras put up solid numbers at that level as well. The right-hander pitched to the tune of a 3.33 ERA, 3.67 FIP and 1.06 WHIP. He didn’t put up a high strikeout rate, getting just 21.2% of all the batters he faced down on strike three, but he only allowed walks at a 6.7% rate while having a 0.68 HR/9.

Contreras did show better strikeout numbers the year prior striking out 24% of all batters he faced in 2018. This also came with a strong 2.42 ERA, 3.33 FIP and 1.02 WHIP, albeit through much less innings. He totaled just 63.1 innings pitched between Low-A and High-A.

The right-hander repertoire includes three pitches. First is his fastball. He averages out in the 92-95 MPH range, but can reach back and has touched 96-97 MPH. What it lacks in elite velocity is made up for in spin rate with 2400 RPM. Both MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs see this as a 55-grade offering in the future. His breaking ball is a curve which averaged 2500 RPM. This is another pitch FanGraphs sees as a potential 55-grade pitch, but MLB Pipeline only sees it as a 50. Then there’s his change up. According to MLB Pipeline, it has heavy sink, which gives it a 55-grade by both sources.

Currently, Contreras is ranked as the team’s 19th best prospect. FanGraphs recently ranked him as the Bucs’ 15th top organizational prospect. He is a flyball pitcher, but has a competitive drive to his personality that Pipeline likes and helps improve his outlook.