Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Three Recent High School Draft Picks to Watch

Anthony Solometo

The Pirates’ third-round pick was higher ranked than their second-round selection, Anthony Solometo. Despite being lower ranked than Chandler, the left-handed Solometo is still highly touted. Going into the draft, he was the best left-handed prep arm. He’s another highly talented pitcher who arguably could have gone in the first round.

Once you factor in Solometo’s control and deceptive wind-up, all of his offerings play at a 55-grade level, at least. Possibly even 60-grade if he adds a tick of velocity. Solometo still has a ways to go before reaching the big league level.

Like Chandler, he’s only 18-years-old. By the time he’s in his age-20 season, we’re looking at a kid who could be a borderline top 100 prospect, or even better. He may also add that tick of velocity, working in the 92-96 MPH range rather than the 90-94 MPH range.

Solometo was another overslot pick by the Pirates, but only going for about $80K over his value. Solometo’s offerings include a fastball (90-94 MPH, plus offering), slider (plus offering), and change-up (average offering with plus potential). However, all of his pitches play up for two big reasons. For one, he has high-end control. He and Gunnar Hoglund were the best control/command type pitchers available. His wind-up and delivery also add deception. Solometo’s wind-up and delivery are reminiscent of former All-Star left-hander Dontrelle Willis, though with a lower leg kick and slightly higher arm slot.

I drew the comparison to former all-star Dontrelle Willis, which I think could be a good floor for him. But MLB Pipeline also drew the comparison to Madison Bumgarner because of his arm slot, which if he can reach his potential, I think is another good comparison. Like Solometo, Bumgarner was never that hard of a thrower but used excellent command and deception to get outs.

Currently, FanGraphs has Solometo as their 16th best prospect and at a 40+ FV. It’s not unreasonable that, given a full year of development under the Pirates tutelage, he could be a 45-50 FV prospect by the end of the 2022 season. After all, he is just 18-years-old and ranks as a top 20 prospect in a top 3 farm system in baseball. By the time he’s 21, he’s potentially a top 100, or even a top 50 prospect.