Pittsburgh Pirates: 3 Prospects to be Excited About in 2022
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a minor league powerhouse and are set up for success in the future, here are three prospects that you should have high hopes for
The depth and talent of the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system has been discussed time and time again. While it may seem redundant to some, to many Pirate fans it is fun to discuss due to how bright the future is for the Pirate franchise.
Catcher Henry Davis
It should come as no surprise that Henry Davis is already one of the most anticipated Pirate prospects to arrive in the big leagues. The first overall pick from the 2021 MLB Draft skyrocketed as the Pittsburgh Pirates number one prospect without even playing a game in any part of the Pirates system. Davis’s ETA is set for 2025 so he won’t be seen for a while, but that doesn’t mean we can’t name him the future savior of the franchise, or am I getting ahead of myself?
What sticks out to fans and scouts is his immaculate arm strength which he uses to throw runners out on the basepath, which is graded a 70/80 by MLB.com, but some wonder if he will be playing catcher or not. His bat isn’t so bad either, the Louisville product batted .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs during his last year of college ball and even torched the bases with 10 steals. While with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Pittsburgh’s High-A affiliate, Davis’s time was short-lived but he did bat .308/.387/1.195 with 3 home runs, 7 RBI, a stolen base, and went 8-26 and putout 32 of the 34 batters he faced while allowing just one stolen base.
While the idea of him playing catcher is in everyone’s mind, maybe he could do what fellow catcher Endy Rodriguez does and play a little first base and outfield, he has the arm for it.
Starting pitcher Quinn Priester
Quinn Priester‘s month of August is the one that showcased his potential and gave an insight into his future with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The month of August saw Priester make 4 starts and pitch a total of 23 innings while tossing 33 strikeouts and holding his opponents to a .224 average, he also held an ERA of 2.35 while going 2-0. Quinn also pitched in game 2 of Greensboro’s championship series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods, he went 5 innings and struck out 7 while giving up one run on three hits and got the win.
Priester can touch 98 mph with his fastball and averages 97 mph and the spin rate on his four-seamer is 2,200 RPM. He also throws a two-seam ball that is usually hit on the ground and generates outs.
Then he uses two breaking balls, a low-80s curve with a 2900 RPM, and a slider that is still being worked on as well as his changeup. The unique 2020 year was spent adding velocity to his pitches and his stock was rising through the roof and looks like the year of work paid off.
Priester is the second-ranked Pirate prospect and his ETA is 2023, he is someone who will headline the rotation for years to come and help the Pirates contend once all the pieces are put together.
Shortstop Liover Peguero
Liover Peguero is in a weird spot, he is a good player and is producing for High-A Greensboro at just 20-years-old and is held high in the eyes of the organization, but plays shortstop which is the most crowded position within the Pittsburgh farm system.
Peguero was an international signing in 2017 by the Arizona Diamondbacks for $475,000 then he played in the Arizona DSL. In January of 2020, Brendan Malone and Liover were traded to the Buccos for cash and Starling Marte, a move that has yet to benefit the team directly in terms of production in the Majors, but I’m not complaining.
Although his power is nothing special at the moment, Liover is still a hitting machine and can go deep from time to time. This season Peguero hit .270/.332/.776 for the regular season with Greensboro and hit 14 HR, drove in 45 runs and stole 28 bases. His 28 steals were the second most in High-A behind teammate Lolo Sanchez.
Peguero’s speed is much needed and if he arrives in 2023 as his ETA says, he will join others who also blaze through the bases. Peguero does a little bit of everything, power, speed, and contact, he could use some more work at defense. Hopefully, the universal DH does come into effect because that will open up a spot for Peguero or Ji-Hwan Bae daily. After all, Oneil Cruz is supposed to take the shortstop position and as I said before, many capable players can lineup at shortstop at the Pittsburgh Pirates, including Bubba Chandler.
There are many other prospects that you should be excited about, rookies and players who have been around for a couple of years. But these prospects are some of my favorites to cover and keep up with and I hope they excite you as well. I also encourage you to tell me your favorite prospect or prospects in the comment section.