Pittsburgh Pirates: Six Overlooked Pitching Prospects

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PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 20: A New Era pillbox Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat is seen in the dugout during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Joaquin Tejada

The Pittsburgh Pirates made multiple trades leading up and during the trade deadline. One of which was sending left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Anderson to the Seattle Mariners for two players. One was catcher Carter Bins, but arguably the more intriguing of the package was right-hander Joaquin Tejada.

Tejada was an international free agent signing by the Mariners in 2019. Going into 2021, Tejada would only be in his age-17 season. Between the M’s and the Bucs’ Dominican Summer League affiliates, the very young pitcher would only toss a total of 28.2 innings but giving up 14 earned runs. Impressively, he only allowed 2 home runs and had a 24.3% strikeout rate, though this did come with a 12.5% walk rate. Some good things, and some bad things during his first taste (albeit very small taste) of pro-action.

According to FanGraphs, Tejada is a very athletic pitcher. He has grown a bit since he was signed, now standing at 6’1″. He’s also added some velo since his signing. He was coming in around the upper-80’s originally but was sitting around the 90-93 MPH range during his time with the M’s affiliate. Though the real attraction is his slider and curveball. Both are considered offerings with plus-plus potential given that they both have spin rates in the 3000 RPM range.

While Tejada has struggled with command, that isn’t something uncommon for a 17/18-year-old. There’s a lot of pure, raw talent in the right-hander. While he may not see the majors for another 4-5 years, Tejada has a high ceiling and it will be fun to watch him as he develops.

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