Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Risers & Faller in FanGraph Rankings

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PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 02: Oneil Cruz #61 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits an RBI single for his first major league hit in the fifth inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on October 2, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Notable risers

While his rise was not one that saw him climb as many spots as some others, Oneil Cruz‘s is still notable. This is because the slugging shortstop prospect rose being the organization’s 6th ranked prospect to being their top prospect, per FanGraphs.

One prospect that shot up the board was outfielder Matthew Fraizer. When the 2021 season ended FanGraphs did not rank Fraizer and he now sits at no. 8. Fraizer put together a monster season in 2021 combining to hit for a .306/.388/.552 slash line to go with 23 home runs and 55 extra base hits in 499 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A.

Another notable, and deserved, riser was pitcher Mike Burrows. After posting a 2.20 ERA, 3.28 FIP and 34.2% strikeout rate with the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, he went on to post a 3.52 ERA while striking out 16 batters in 15.1 innings pitched in the Arizona Fall League.

Making his debut on FanGraphs list is pitcher J.C. Flowers. After posting a 3.78 ERA and striking out 92 batters in 78.1 innings pitched between Low-A and High-A last season, Flowers checks in at no. 21 on the list. The 23-year-old should be in store for his Double-A debut this season.

Catcher Endy Rodriguez saw FanGraphs move him up 18 spots, going from no. 25 to no. 7. After hitting for a .294/.380/.512 slash line to go with a 140 wRC+ in 434 PAs at Greensboro, Rodriguez is looking like the prized jewel of the Joe Musgrove trade, and should be on his way to Altoona when the 2022 season begins.

2020 draft pick Jared Jones also saw a nice rise. The 20-year-old pitcher went from no. 17 in the system into the top 10 at no. 9. In his first taste of pro-ball he pitched in 18 games at Low-A, 15 of them starts, logging 66 innings. Jones posted just a 4.64 ERA in these 66 innings of work, but he allowed home runs at just a 0.82 HR/9 clip while striking out 34.1% of batters faced. Jones has bright future with the Pirates.

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