Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Soft-Tossing Prospects to Watch in 2022

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Sep 30, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Miguel Yajure (89) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Miguel Yajure

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Jameson Taillon during last offseason. At the time of the trade, the highest-ranking prospect the Pirates got back was right-hander Miguel Yajure. Since then, Roansy Contreras has arguably passed Yajure in terms of value and ranking, but that doesn’t mean Yajure has fallen or is no longer a good prospect.

The right-hander likely would have gotten a fair amount of playing time last year had it not been for injuries. Between Triple-A and the major leagues, he only tossed 58.2 innings. He did solid at Indianapolis though, posting a 3.09 ERA, 4.35 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP. Yajure showed an excellent ability to limit walks posting a 7.5% walk rate while having a solid 23% strikeout rate. The home run ball was what gave him the most trouble with a 1.20 HR/9. It is worth noting that in the past, preventing home runs has been a strength of Yajure’s.

Yajure has a wide array of pitches. He throws a four-seamer, changeup, cutter, curveball, slider, and occasionally a sinker (though mostly to right-handed hitters). His cutter is his best offering, which has a 60-projected grade on FanGraphs. Both his fastball and change-up are considered plus offerings by FanGraphs as well. His curve is another offering with average or better potential. Having four average or better offerings is a very good start, and considering that isn’t even counting his slider or sinker, Yajure can keep batters off-balance with his ability to throw whatever he needs to throw. He also has 60-projected command.

Between all of his offerings, his sinker has the fastest average velocity at 91-92 MPH. When he’s healthy, Yajure averages out around 90-94 MPH. While has seen his velocity increase over the last few seasons, he uses his excellent command and pitchability to get outs.

Next season is Yajure’s age-24 season. So long as he is healthy, he’ll get plenty of starts next season in the major leagues. He is, potentially, a long-term arm to build around. The Pirates may have found two future rotation arms in the Taillon deal.

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