Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Forgotten Position Player Prospects

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
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) /

Infielder Juan Jerez

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Juan Jerez during the 2018 signing deadline. Jerez has gotten off to a great start to his pro career. He’s still pretty young, but he may soon get some more attention given his outstanding performance in 2021.

Last season at the Florida Complex League, Jerez batted .296/.394/.500 with a .412 wOBA, and 136 wRC+. Jerez blasted 6 home runs in just 181 plate appearances. He also had a strong .204 isolated slugging percentage. He did strike out a bit more than you’d like, having a 25.4% rate. Though, he did have a great 13.3% walk rate. He got on base, hit for power, and even showed some prowess when it came to running the bases. Jerez swiped 10 bags in 14 attempts to go with his long balls.

Overall, Jerez has batted .282/.353/.482 in his career 435 plate appearances. He has blasted 13 home runs and 21 doubles while having a .200 isolated slugging percentage. Overall, Jerez has a .386 wOBA so far. Pretty good numbers to start his professional career.

Jerez has played second base, third base, and shortstop. He mainly played second in 2019 while also seeing a little bit of time at shortstop, but was primarily a third baseman this year. He’s versatile enough that the Pittsburgh Pirates could probably find playing time for him in the future, despite having an abundance of shortstop and second base prospects, and Ke’Bryan Hayes at the hot corner.