Pittsburgh Pirates: Projecting 2022 for Protected Prospects

Friday evening Pittsburgh Pirates added four prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. What could 2022 hold for each of them?

6:00 PM ET on Friday was the deadline for MLB teams to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. While the status of the Rule 5 Draft is a bit up in the air due to the looming lockout, the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as the rest of baseball, still had the need to add players to their 40-man roster to protect them from the draft.

Prior to Friday evening’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates added four prospects to their 40-man roster. While it was a bit of surprise to not see the Pirates make more additions to their 40-man roster, the four prospects they added to the 40-man came no surprise.

Today we will delve into the four prospects that the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to add to their 40-man roster. As well as what the 2022 season could each for each of these four players as they look to carve out a role with the Pirates.

Outfielder Jack Suwinski

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded second baseman Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres this past July to main piece in the trade appeared to be utility man Tucupita Marcano. But of the three players Ben Cherington acquired outfielder Jack Suwinski may have the highest ceiling.

In 449 PAs at the Double-A level last season Suwinski flashed big power potential. He mashed 19 home runs to go with a 9% extra base hit rate. He hit for a .262/.383/.485 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 134 and an ISO of .223.

The big red flag for Suwinski was his strikeout rate. While he did draw walks at a 15.6% rate, he also struck out in 27.8% of his trips to the plate. Suwinski also flashed some sneaky athleticism with 11 stolen bases.

With his power potential and being close to the Major Leagues, had the Pittsburgh Pirates not protected Suwinski, he almost certainly would have been selected in the Rule 5 Draft. So, what does 2022 hold for him?

There is a good chance Suwinski starts the season at the Triple-A level. This should set Suwinski up to be in position to make his MLB debut at some point during the 2022 season, especially with the assumption that the National League will have the designated hitter. Look for Suwinski to make his MLB debut at some point next season.

Outfielder Travis Swaggerty

If not for injuries, Travis Swaggerty would have made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. In all honesty, had Swaggerty not gotten hurt early in the Triple-A season he would likely have a starting job in the Pirate outfield locked down by now.

Prior to getting injured Swaggerty had accumulated 48 PAs in his first 12 games at the Triple-A level. Swaggerty had already hit 3 home runs, to go with a .220 ISO, 12.5% walk rate and a 108 wRC+ with the Indians.

Even coming off the shoulder injury expectations remain high for Swaggerty. The 10th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Swaggerty is now 24-years-old and ranks as the team’s 9th best prospects and the 107th best in baseball, per FanGraphs.

Between his age and the fact he would already be in the Majors without his injury last season it would not be a surprise to see Swaggerty start the season as the starting left fielder for the Pirates. The team needed outfield help and having question marks on who will flank Bryan Reynolds works in his favor as well.

Even if Swaggerty starts the season back at Indianapolis he should reach the Major League level sooner rather than later in 2022. As long as he is healthy, Swaggerty should become a starting outfielder and building block in the new Pirate core during the 2022 season.

Outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba

Canaan Smith-Njigba was one of the four players the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired from the New York Yankees last January in the Jameson Taillon trade. The left-handed hitting outfielder reached the Triple-A level by September last season, is on the doorstep of the Major Leagues, and this made him a prospect the Pirates deemed they needed to protect.

Smith-Njigba spent much of the 2021 season with Double-A Altoona where he hit for a .274/.398/.406 slash line to go with a 127 wRC+. The 22-year-old drew walks at a tremendous, borderline elite 16.9% rate, to go with 6 home runs and 11 doubles.

While he struggled in a late season promotion to Triple-A, Smith-Njigba bounced back with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. He hit for a .298/.452/.456 slash line in the AFL to go with a 9.6% extra base hit rate.

Smith-Njigba will start the 2022 season where he ended in 2021 with Triple-A Indianapolis. With a strong showing with the Indians he should be able to play his way into seeing playing time in Pittsburgh next season.

As Noah recently wrote about it would not be a surprise to see Smith-Njigba playing a role on the Major League roster for the Pirates by the end of the season. As we discussed when talking about Swaggerty, the Pittsburgh Pirates need outfield help. Smith-Njigba could also get ABs as a DH for the Pirates.