Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects 2022 Outlook: Liover Peguero

Liover Peguero is trending toward being one of the top shortstop prospects in all of baseball and fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates should watch him closely during the 2022 season

It did not take long for shortstop Liover Peguero to begin to emerge as the key piece acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Starling Marte trade. While many fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently enamored with Oneil Cruz, and rightfully so, at the shortstop position, the long-term future of the position will likely see Peguero take the reigns at the position.

During this offseason Peguero’s name is one that has been popping up in the news. Prior to the start of MLB’s work stoppage the Pittsburgh Pirates added him to their 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He was also recently named a top 100 prospect by Baseball America.

Peguero is coming off a strong season with the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. In 417 plate appearances in 90 games played for the Grasshoppers the right-handed hitting Peguero hit for a .270/.332/.444 slash line to go with a 108 wRC+. Peguero walked at an 8% clip, which is a good sign for his future potential as a leadoff hitter, and he also flashed his speed by swiping 28 bases.

Looking ahead to the 2022 season it could be a big one for Peguero. He should start the season with the Double-A Altoona Curve. This will be a good jump and test for Peguero, giving him his first taste of Double-A action.

As Noah recently took a look at, Peguero finished the 2021 season hot at the plate. During this stretch that started in the middle of the summer it appeared that Peguero’s power was starting to develop. If his power has turned a developmental corner and is starting to become a bigger part of Peguero’s game he could really begin to shoot up prospect boards.

If Peguero can pick up with the Curve where he left off at last season with the Grasshoppers, he will put together a strong season and put himself in position to reach Triple-A before the end of the season.

FanGraphs gives Peguero an ETA of 2022. While it may be unlikely to see Peguero with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, he should be on the doorstep of Major League Baseball by the end of the season. This should then set Peguero up for a MLB debut early in the 2023 season.

When that MLB debut becomes the hope is that Peguero will take shortstop by the horns and never let go. He projects as a plus defender at the position, while also potentially having plus power for the shortstop position and the ability to bat leadoff for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

During the 2022 minor league season Peguero will be one of the key prospects that Pirate fans will want to keep an eye on. If Peguero exceeds offensive expectations with Altoona, he could find himself at Triple-A earlier than expecting. This could set Peguero up for a potential MLB debut in September. Even if that does not happen, Peguero is a player with a bright future ahead with the Pittsburgh Pirates and this alone should keep fans invested in his 2022 season.