Pittsburgh Pirates: Six Overlooked Pitching Prospects

Austin Roberts

Back when we looked at each of the best tool grades going into the 2021 season, Austin Roberts ended up with the best changeup in the organization. Roberts didn’t get very much coverage this season, but he had some pretty solid numbers, but also some mixed results.

Roberts pitched most of his campaign at High-A Greensboro. He tossed 65.1 total innings, serving as a long-relief man (39 total games played). He had a 4.55 ERA, 5.05 FIP, and 1.36 WHIP. He had some interesting peripherals. He struck out a ton of batters, posting a 34.9% strikeout rate. He also had a very solid 8.8% walk rate. Plus his 4.04 xFIP was decent. The problem was he gave up home runs at an awful 2.04-per-9 rate.

As stated earlier, Roberts has a very good changeup. FanGraphs projects it as a very good, 60-grade offering. He also has a four-seam fastball that was coming in around 92-95 MPH. That’s a tick-up from 2019 when he was sitting in the low-90’s. If the velocity is real, FanGraphs gives it a 55-projected. He also added a curveball instructs, which is a third, average offering.

Roberts has pitched both out of the pen and as a starter back in 2019. What role he’ll have in the future is still up in the air, but he has proven he can go multiple innings. Only 14 of his 39 total outings lasted less than 1.1 innings. He had 21 total outings where he went 2 or more innings. Though if his changeup and velocity are legit, he could be a really solid swingman type pitcher.