Pittsburgh Pirates: 3 Prospects Who Need to Rebound in 2022

Pittsburgh Piraters Right-Handed Pitcher, Eddie Yean

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Eddie Yean from the Washington Nationals last December.  The deal came out of nowhere and quickly set the tone for what would be an active offseason.  Along with Yean, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed pitcher Will Crowe in exchange for Josh Bell. At the time of the deal, many viewed it as a mixed result with the saying “time will tell”.

The intrigue in Yean makes sense.  He has everything one would want in a starting pitching prospect.  He is projectable standings at 6’2” and weighs around 185 pounds.  To go along with that he has an electric arm with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has reached into the upper 90s. FanGraphs gives his fastball a Future Value Grade of 60 which is great to see for a 20-year-old.  They also project him to have a plus offering in his slider and changeup.

The big question around Yean is whether or not he will be able to harness his stuff.  This issue showed up during his first year in the Pittsburgh Pirates Organization.  In 2021, Yean pitched to an ERA of 5.23, which was much his 2019 ERA of 3.50.  He did not pitch in 2020 which could have played a part in his struggles this past season.

The bigger concern is that he walked over 13% of opposing hitters, a high mark for a potential starter.  Yean needs to settle in this year.  He was brought in to be a potential impact starting pitching prospect and found himself shifted to the bullpen in 2021.  Yean will likely get another chance to start in 2022 and he needs to show that he has taken a step forward.