Pittsburgh Pirates: The All-Under-20 Prospect Team

The Pittsburgh Pirates have an extremely deep farmsystem, but some of their more interesting prospects are younger than 20-years-old.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of, if not the deepest farm system in baseball. The Bucs have talent that can help them within the very near future, as well as prospects that can help out the Bucs in the long-term future. There are prospects in the 22-24 age range, but also prospects in the under-20 range.

Because of that, I think we should give some focus to some of these under-20 prospects. Most of the team’s high-ranking farmhands will be up in the next 1-3 years. Players such as Nick Gonzales, Roansy Contreras, Liover Peguero, Oneil Cruz, Quinn Priester, and Travis Swaggerty all fall in that 2022-2024 range. But some of these under-20 prospects could become some very high-ranking ones after a year or two of development.

So today, let’s put together a team of these under-20 prospects. While not every player is having a fantastic season, I’m also taking into account rankings in terms of the Pittsburgh Pirates system. Prospect rankings don’t necessarily mean performing well as potential, talent, skill, and tools are all taken into account.

Catcher: Geovanny Planchart

Among all the players we’ll be talking about today, Geovanny Planchart is just one of two that has ever appeared on FanGraphs extensive list of top prospects. Regardless of that, Planchart is probably the team’s best catcher that’s younger than 20. The likes of Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez, Carter Bins, and Abrahan Gutierrez are 21-years-old or older.

Planchart may not be a high-ranking prospect, but he’s put up good numbers in the Pirates’ low minors for two straight years in a row. In 2019, he stepped to the plate 121 times at Rookie-Ball. He batted .368/.433/.406 with a .417 wOBA, and 140 wRC+. He didn’t show much power with an ISO of just .038, but he walked at a solid 9.9% rate and struck out in just 7.4% of all his plate appearances.

This year, he’s improved his game. Through 89 plate appearances at the Florida Complex League, Planchart has a .333/.416/.493 line, .422 wOBA, and 143 wRC+. The 19-year-old is walking a lot more, having a 13.5% BB%. Plus his power has seen an uptick with a .160 ISO. Though this has come at the cost of his strikeout rate, which has risen to 23.6%. Planchart has been a line-drive machine. His LD% sits at 25.5% while having a sub-40% ground ball rate (39.2%).

Planchart may not be the team’s highest-ranking catching prospect, but is still a potential solid future option for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The position is deep, but they’ll find room if many of their catching prospects do pan out.

First Base: Alexander Mojica

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed corner infielder Alexander Mojica on August 2nd, 2018. Mojica is primarily a third baseman but has played plenty of experience at first base. Plus he has very poor defense at the hot corner, which will eventually necessitate a move over to first, especially if and when he adds a few more pounds of muscle. The offensive potential is what is his big attraction.

Mojica’s first professional season was great. He batted .351/.468/.580 with a .491 wOBA, and 182 wRC+. Mojica showed a ton of power. He blasted 8 home runs, had a .230 ISO, and 89 MPH exit velocity. Remember, this is his age-16 season. An 89 MPH exit velo at that age is very impressive. George Springer has a career average exit velo of 89.4 MPH. He also walked a ton with a phenomenal 17% walk rate and a strikeout rate of just 15%.

The slugger isn’t doing all that well at High-A Bradenton. Mojica has hit just .212/.326/.331 with a .321 wOBA, and 86 wRC+. He hasn’t shown much power and is striking out at a 25.2% rate. He’s still walking at a great 12.8% rate.

Though Mojica has a ton of offensive potential. He has a 55-future grade hit tool, game power tool, and raw power tool. Mojica is already a strong 6’1″, 195 pounds. According to FanGraphs, he has a balanced leg kick, a strong and fast swing, and great peripherals. While it’s going to be his bat that gets him to the bigs, he has the potential to do so.

Second Base: Dariel Lopez

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Dariel Lopez at the July 2nd, 2018 international signing date. He’s far from the last name we’ll hear from this so keep that date in mind. Regardless, Lopez put together a strong first pro season and is having a solid 2021 campaign.

Lopez hit .341/.404/.485 with a .427 wOBA, and 145 wRC+. While Lopez didn’t show big home run power, he did run out 10 doubles in 188 plate appearances. His 7.4% walk rate wasn’t fantastic, but his 16% strikeout rate is. He did hit ground balls at a 55.1% rate which is a bit higher than you’d like to see.

So far this year, he’s batted .258/.348/.394, resulting in a solid .352 wOBA, and 105 wRC+. While Lopez is walking more often (10.7%), his strikeout rate has risen above 25% (25.1% to be exact). It also doesn’t help that his GB% has risen all the way to 58.3%. Though to end his season wrap-up on a positive note, he does have a 21.1% line drive rate, a 4.2% increase from his debut season.

Lopez is one of the many young middle infielders in the system. While Lopez isn’t a Nick Gonzales or Liover Peguero in terms of potential, any bit of depth helps.

Shortstop: Maikol Escotto

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder Maikol Escotto in the Jameson Taillon trade. A high-ceiling infielder with some power potential, Escotto was coming off a strong 2019 season. His first 218 professional plate appearances saw him bat .325/.439/.552 with 8 long balls, a .465 wOBA, and 167 wRC+. Escotto showed off some good power with a .238 ISO but also drew walks at a high 14.7% rate. He did go down on strikes a bit more than you’d like at a 26.1% rate, but nothing out of the ordinary for your average 17-year-old.

Escotto hasn’t been able to replicate those kinds of numbers with the Pittsburgh Pirates yet, but he’s had a solid first season in their system. In 343 plate appearances at Low-A, the right-handed batter has put up a .238/.364/.355 line, .352 wOBA, and 105 wRC+. Escotto is still drawing walks at a strong rate, 15.2% to be exact. But his strikeouts have risen even further to 30.7%. The big issue has been his ground ball rate rising from 45.8% to 52.5% this season.

Escotto has mainly played shortstop this year with the Bucs but also has time spent at second base, and third base when he was with the Yankees. Escotto projects as an average defender up the middle with a strong, 60-grade arm.

His offensive profile projects as an above-average power hitter. His hit tool only projects as a 45-grade weapon, but his game power (55-future grade) and raw power (60-future grade) both are well above average.

Escotto will turn 20 on June 4th, 2022. He’s still very young, but a very good talent. If he can reach his potential, he’s a .270/.370/.500 batter who can provide 25+ home runs a season and roughly average defense at shortstop, and above-average defense at third base or second base.

Third Base: Juan Jerez

The second player that shows up from the July 2nd, 2018 international signing period is infielder Juan Jerez. Jerez showed some solid stuff in his first professional season in 2019. In 274 plate appearances at Rookie-Ball, he hit .272/.324/.469 with 7 home runs, a .371 wOBA, and 114 wRC+. While Jerez had a poor 5.5% walk rate, he did have a sub-20% strikeout rate (18.9%).

Jerez’s 2021 season has been very good. In 190 plate appearances with the Pirates’ Florida Complex League, he has hit .301/.396/.510 line, .417 wOBA, and 140 wRC+. Jerez’s power has seen a small uptick with a .210 ISO. His line drive rate is nearly 30% (28.4%), which is potential reason why his batting average on balls in play is so high at .399. He’s also striking out more with a 26% rate, but now has a fantastic 13% walk rate.

Jerez has mainly played third base this year but has experience at both middle infield spots. As a defender, FanGraphs sees him as an average glove with a good enough arm to play on the left side of the infield. Speed isn’t his best tool, as it’s only seen as a 45-grade tool. Jerez’s hit tool is above average at 55, while his game power is a 45-projected. He does have average-raw power. But these projected tools were before the 2021 season.

Jerez stands at 6-foot, 160 pounds. He does have a projectable frame, but he’s yet another young infielder at the Pittsburgh Pirates disposal. He has previously shown up on FanGraphs’ prospect rankings, and there’s a decent possibility he shows up again given his solid campaign.

Left Field: Rodolfo Nolasco

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Rodolfo Nolasco on July 2nd, 2018. Nolasco was one of the more noteworthy signings at the time, and his first taste of professional action was very promising. In fact, there is an argument to be made that Nolasco is the most underrated prospect in the Pirate farm system.

Nolasco hit .302/.373/.472 with 5 long balls in 225 plate appearances, a .405 wOBA, and 133 wRC+. Nolasco struck out just 11.6% of the time, though his 7.1% walk rate wasn’t great. The outfielder did have a line drive rate of just 15.3% and an even worse 57.6% ground ball rate. But overall, it was a good first season.

Nolasco has gotten even better this year. He’s stepped to the plate 144 times at the Pirate Florida Complex League, batting .266/.395/.508 with 6 long balls, .416 wOBA, and 139 wRC+. Nolasco is striking out more than you’d like with a 27.6% mark. But his walk rate has increased by nearly double since 2019, all the way up to 15.8%. Nolasco has seen his LD% rise to 16%, which is still a bit lower than you’d like, but his GB% has gone down by over 15% to 41.3%.

Nolasco has an average projected hit tool, at a 50-grade. But both his raw power and game power grades are considered 55-projected grade tools by FanGraphs. Nolasco had an 89 MPH exit velocity and a 46% hard-hit rate in 2019, which is above the major league average. That was during his age-17 season. As a defender, he’s considered average with a good enough arm to play either corner spot. Though left field will probably be his final home. Right now, he’s a 50-grade runner, but by the time he fills out, he’s only projected to have 40-grade speed.

Even if Nolasco has to move to left field, it won’t be any problem. The young slugger has plenty of power to get him to the majors. He needs to cut down on his strikeouts a bit as well as increase his line drive rate, but nothing that can’t be fixed with some fine-tuning and proper coaching. You also have to consider that 2022 will only be his age-20 season. Swings and misses at such a young age are common.

Center Field: Braylon Bishop

The 14th round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in this past July’s MLB Draft Braylon Bishop was one of the biggest steals. Bishop went with the 403rd overall pick. But there was a good argument to be made that he should have gone top 100. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 94th best prospect going into the draft. It should be stated now that he’s far from our last under-20 prospect to appear on this team list.

Bishop is a highly athletic outfielder. His best tool is his speed, according to Pipeline. They currently see it as a 60-grade tool. He’s also a plus fielder with a strong arm that can play any outfield spot. But make no mistake, he’s not a light-hitting Billy Hamilton type player. Bishop has some pop, 50-grade according to Pipeline. He stands at 6’2″, 193 pounds, which is pretty big for an 18-year-old. Not only can he generate power from his frame, but he also has very good bat speed.

Bishop’s power may play up if he can improve his hit tool. Currently, Pipeline only sees it as a 45. He’s struggled against better pitching and he has a bit of swing-and-miss, but like with Nolasco, nothing major to worry about yet. If he can get it to a 50-grade or better tool, his power will look much better when he’s making consistent contact.

Bishop is only 18-years-old. He has a handful of years before the Pittsburgh Pirates even think about promoting him to the major leagues. But he’s arguably one of the highest ceiling outfielders in the Pirate farm system given his outstanding athleticism, power potential, and fielding ability.

Right Field: Lonnie White Jr.

Lonnie White Jr. was an even higher touted prospect going into the 2021 draft. White Jr. was picked with the 64th overall selection. He was the team’s competitive balance pick but was projected to go a handful of picks earlier. FanGraphs ranked him as the draft’s 54th best prospect.

White Jr. is a highly athletic outfielder with some power like Bishop. He’s a better fielder who has a 60-grade fielding grade, but a weaker arm. Though it’s still solid with a 50-grade. White has enough speed to remain as a center fielder, though I have him in right field here as he’s played some in the minor leagues. White Jr. can leverage his 6’3, 212-pound frame to generate good power. Though his hit tool can get a bit fringy at times. But if he can overcome that, you’re looking at one powerful outfield bat.

It’s quite possible that White would have been a first-round pick if he solely focused on baseball in high school. He was also a wide receiver in high school, which limited the amount of time he could have dedicated to baseball, possibly leading to the fact his hit tool can be fringy. Not only now can he solely focus on baseball, but will also be under the tutelage of the Pirates’ development team as well as their coaches.

Right-Handed Pitcher: Bubba Chandler

The Pittsburgh Pirates got a huge steal by drafting Bubba Chandler in the third round of the 2021 draft. He’s the third player that has shown up from this draft on my under-20 prospect team and isn’t the last. Chandler was arguably a top 20 pick, but the Pirates got him at #72, but for a huge overslot signing bonus. He’s probably the best prospect we’ll talk about today.

So why was Chandler projected to go so early, but fell so far? Well, he was a two-way star coming out of high school but committed to play football at Clemson. Had it not been for such a commitment, he would have gone where he was projected to go. Chandler was one of the top high school shortstops and top pitching prospects available, making him a high-end draft prospect.

Chandler currently throws in the 92-95 MPH range and has topped out at 97 MPH. Both FanGraphs and Pipeline see it as a 60-grade offering. His primary breaking ball is a high-70’s curveball, another pitch that both prospect ranking sources see as an above average, 55-grade pitch. But he’ll also throw a slider that comes in the mid-80’s, and change-up. They’re both projected as average offerings. Not only are all of his offerings projected to be average, at the very least, but all have distinctive speeds. It also helps he has been praised for solid command.

As a position player, he’s a highly athletic infielder with some power. He’s a plus fielder at shortstop with a strong arm (a strong arm for a two-way player shouldn’t be a massive surprise). He also has plus speed and a 50-grade hit tool. The only knock on him is that his hit tool is on the fringy side. However even if he becomes a league-average batter who can provide 15-18 home runs a season, All-Star level pitching, and plus defender in the infield, he’d be more than worth the money they gave him.