Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Rum Bunter’s Preseason Top 10

Number 10 – C/OF/1B Endy Rodriguez

Acquired in the Joe Musgrove trade, Endy Rodriguez received Player of the Year honors at the Low-A Southeast level with the Bradenton Marauders. The switch-hitting backstop was one of the best hitters in Pirate farm system in 2021. He’s one of the many notable backstop prospects now littering the Pirate system.

In 434 plate appearances Rodriguez batted .294/.394/.512 with a .410 wOBA and 140 wRC+. Rodriguez continued to show great plate discipline, walking 11.5% of the time while only striking out in 17.7% of his plate appearances. So far, he’s yet to walk less than 10% of the time or strike out at a 20%+ rate in each of his few professional seasons.

He also hit 15 home runs with a .218 isolated slugging percentage. Rodriguez isn’t projected to be a big power hitter, but he does have a career ISO over .200. He only projects to be a 30-game power hitter but has 40-raw power and has consistently posted solid exit velos. He makes up for it with a hit tool well into the elite territory.

Defensively, he projects to be an above-average defender behind the dish. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but it plays well enough behind the plate. He may end up at first base or the outfield, given the catching situation the Pittsburgh Pirates have. He’s pretty athletic and is a decent runner for a catcher.

There aren’t very many catchers who fit the mold of a leadoff hitter, but Rodriguez fits it to a T, and then some. He hits for average and gets on base because he walks a ton. If he continues to develop his power, he may become more of a three-hole hitter.

Number 9 – Outfielder Travis Swaggerty

Travis Swaggerty comes in at our number 9 spot. A first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018, Swaggerty’s minor league career has severely been underrated. Since the second half of the 2019 season, he’s been a great hitter, with a wRC+ just under 150 dating back to the end of June 2019. Had it not been for a dislocated shoulder, he likely would have been a regular fixture in the Pirates’ major league outfield last season.

Last season the talented outfielder only had 48 plate appearances before his injury but posted a quality .220/.333/.439 line, .343 wOBA, and 108 wRC+, making him a comfortably above-average hitter. Plus, he had six walks and only 8 strikeouts. Swaggerty showed off some improving game power as well. He had a .220 isolated slugging percentage with six home runs. Swaggerty has always had great raw power but struggled to lift the ball off the ground. Last year, he had a healthy 26.7% line-drive rate, well above the average, and a ground ball rate of just 36.7%.

Despite his good batted ball rates, hitting a line drive over a quarter of the time, Swaggerty’s overall numbers were heavily influenced by a .200 batting average on balls in play. For reference of how unlucky that is, only three batters had a line drive rate above 25% and BAbip below .280 in a 300 plate appearance season dating back to 2018, and none of those three had a mark below .250. It’s also worth noting that dating back to June 29th, 2019, Swaggerty is a .309/.381/.459 hitter with a .385 wOBA and 148 wRC+.

Swaggerty has five-tool potential. His calling card is his Gold Glove defense in center field, along with more than enough speed to play the position regularly. He also has a great arm that could play in a corner if need be. His bat is underrated as he could be a consistent .260 hitter with 18-20 home runs. Plus, he’s displayed excellent plate discipline. He’s the kind of guy who would make a great two-hole hitter; enough power to score the leadoff man potentially, but enough of an ability to reach base to set up the middle of the lineup hitters.

Number 8 – LHP Anthony Solometo

The Pirates selected Anthony Solommeto as the first pick in the second round. Arguably a first-rounder, Solometo was ranked as the 17th best prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline. His delivery and command make him one of the Pirates’ best pitching prospects.

Solometo’s known for his funky delivery, with it being a mix of Madison Bumgarner’s arm slot and Dontrell Willis’s wind-up. He has a high leg-kick and low-arm slot, which makes all of his offerings play up. Speaking of his offerings, let’s take a look at those.

His fastball is genuinely an elite offering. He throws the pitch with authority and command. He usually sits around the 90-92 MPH range but can reach back for more. He has hit 94-96 MPH before. His primary off-speed pitch is a changeup. The southpaw also has two versions of his breaking ball: a slider and a slurve. This is a good video if you want to see all of his offerings in action:

Solometo’s delivery is very deceptive, but he also has elite command. He was considered the second-best command pitcher in the draft behind Gunnar Hoglund. This, plus four great offerings, gives him the ace-potential you like to see from your early picks in the draft.

He’s still a young arm. Solomon is only 19-years-old, but by the time he reaches the majors, he may be hitting closer to 92-94 MPH and topping out around 96-97 MPH. He’s a highly talented pitcher who might approach top 100 status at the end of this season.

Number 7 – RHP/SS Bubba Chandler

The Pirates picked Bubba Chandler in the third round after Solometo and White Jr. But make no mistake. Chandler is no ordinary third-round pick, and he’s arguably the second-best player the Pirates got in the 2021 amateur draft.

Chandler is a two-way prospect as he was a right-handed pitcher and shortstop at North Oconee High School. He was talented on both sides of the ball and was projected to go within the first 15-20 picks. So why did he fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates at no. 72? It was his commitment to Clemson as a football player. It took a big over slot bonus of $3 million to sign the high school pick.

As a pitcher, Chandler is a guy who could lead a starting rotation. He has a fastball that’s already topping out around 97 MPH, and he usually sits around 92-95 MPH. That’s still a very hard fastball for a kid younger than 20-years-old. It’s an offering with 60-grade potential. He also carries a plus curveball, as well as a solid slider. The right-hander has a feel for his change-up, and it should be an average pitch.

Not only does he have four distinct offerings, but they all have distinct speeds. His slider usually comes in around the mid-80’s, and he takes off a lot on his curveball, down in the upper-70’s. Then there’s his change-up that resides around the low-80’s.

As a shortstop, he’s a guy who can provide a plus glove up the middle with 15-20 home runs yearly. He’s a switch-hitter as well, which works in his favor. He also has plus speed, so the Pirates could move him around if they felt like it. They’ll likely develop him as a pitcher first, but keeping him as a two-way player, at least so he can provide the team with a pinch hitter and super-sub player, might be the route they take with Chandler.

Chandler was a player who was supposed to go in the first draft round but fell to the Pirates in the third round. He’s a potential two-way star, and while he’s only 19-years-old, he will be entertaining to watch through the minors.

Number 6 – Shortstop Liover Peguero

Liover Peguero was the headliner of the Starling Marte trade. Since being acquired by the Bucs, Peguero has become one of the best shortstop prospects in the league. He has developed into a consensus top 100 prospect and could make his major league debut in 2022.

Peguero batted for a solid .270/.332/.444 line, .338 wOBA, and 108 wRC+ with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. He showed off plus pop with 14 long balls along with a .170 isolated slugging percentage. Peguero turned on the jets in the second half of the season, where he hit .301/.359/.509 with a .374 wOBA and 130 wRC+ from July 25th onward. The most significant part of all of this is that he was nearly three years younger than the average player at High-A.

Peguero is a hit-over-power kind of prospect, but he has plenty of power. Down the stretch, he saw his ISO increase to .209 while going yard eight times in less than 200 plate appearances (182 to be exact). With his current trajectory, he should have slightly above average game power by the time he’s 22-23-years-old.

He also projects to be a good defender up the middle, and he is a projected-55 grade defender. While many have pointed out his 23 errors, it shouldn’t be that much of a worry. He’s shown the instincts, reflexes, and arm to stick at shortstop long term.

The shortstop should start the year at Double-A Altoona next season. If Peguero picks up where he left 2021 off, we may see him get a similar treatment to two prospects we’ll talk about later. That means getting a major league call-up in the second half of September and making his debut. Peguero is an easy answer to the Pirates’ shortstop of the future.

Number 5 – RHP Roansy Contreras

The third player to appear in this article from the Jameson Taillon deal, Roansy Contreras has become one of the most notable RHP prospects in the National League. Contreras flew up rankings last season and is now considered a consensus top 100 prospect.

Contreras started the year at Double-A Altoona, where he had a phenomenal 2.65 ERA, 2.71 FIP, and .902 WHIP through the start of his season. The right-hander struck out well over a third of batters faced with a 34.9% K-rate. However, he wasn’t just a big-K pitcher with no control. He only walked 6.3% of batters faced with an HR/9 of .83. He arguably could have had a lower HR/9 given he had a 47.5% GB rate and sub-15% line-drive rate.

Contreras got promoted to Triple-A and eventually made his major league debut in the second half of September. Between the two levels, he pitched 6.2 innings with 10 strikeouts and only two walks. Plus, he only gave up a single earned run. He was showing he could handle the upper levels of the minors and looking really good during his debut.

Contreras didn’t fly up prospect boards solely because of his performance, and it was because of his massively improved stuff. When the Pirates acquired Contreras, he averaged out around 92-95 MPH. This past year, he was coming out and firing 96-98 MPH consistently. He already had plus spin, making his fastball an elite offering. He also throws a curveball and slider, both of which are above average offerings, and a change-up, which is about a fourth average offering.

Contreras is easily a National League Rookie of the Year candidate next season, and he should make 20-24 starts so long as he remains healthy. Contreras is not only one of the Pittsburgh Pirates best prospects but one of the better prospects in all of baseball. He’s MLB ready now and should make his fair share of starts next season.

Number 4 – RHP Quinn Priester

Quinn Priester was the team’s first-round pick in 2019. The right-hander is the consensus top pitching prospect in the Pirate system. He’s also a consensus top 100 arm who should be a regular part of the rotation within the next year or two.

Last year, Priester put up a quality 3.04 ERA, 4.08 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP through 97.2 innings of work. This also came with a 24.1% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. The right-hander’s biggest strength was preventing home runs. He had a 54.7% ground ball rate, leading to a .74 HR/9.

Priester took off in the second half. His last 48.2 innings saw him post a 2.59 ERA, 3.35 FIP, and 1.11 WHIP. The top prospect saw his strikeout rate improve to 27% while having a 9.2% walk rate. He only allowed two home runs for a robust 0.37 HR/9. 5 of the 14 earned runs and 5 of the 18 walks he allowed were during his final of the season. Outside of that, Priester had a 1.76 ERA and 7.3% walk rate.

Priester’s fastball usually sits in the mid-90’s-to-upper-90’s, but he can crank it up to the high-90’s. He’s topped out at 99 MPH before but averages around 95-97 MPH. The real pitch here is his curveball. It’s truly an elite offering that’s arguably the best minor league curve. His next best offering is a cutter, another pitch with elite potential. To go with his cutter and four-seamer, he’ll also toss a sinking two-seamer, adding a fourth above-average pitch to his repertoire. Another breaking ball he throws is a slider. His changeup also projects to be about average. However, it doesn’t have to be a phenomenal pitch for him to succeed with his large arsenal.

Priester is a guy who has ace potential. You’re looking at a guy that could secure the rotation for years to come for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Like Peguero, he should be one of the many talented players at Double-A next season, and he might also get a chance to debut.

Number 3 – Second Baseman Nick Gonzales

A first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020, Nick Gonzales, was considered the best pure hitter in the draft. He showed he could hit for power, contact, and get on base. His athleticism is also considered above average among his peers at second base.

You couldn’t have asked for a better debut season for Gonzales. In 369 trips to the plate, Gonzo batted .302/.385/.565 with 18 dingers, a .405 wOBA, and 150 wRC+. Gonzales had a healthy 10.8% walk rate to go along with a .262 isolated slugging percentage. Like many other Pirate prospects, he also had a fantastic second half. From July 16th to the end of the season, Gonzales batted .353/.438/.647 with a .485 wOBA and 183 wRC+.

Now Gonzales did have a 27.4% strikeout rate and .388 batting average on balls in play. But his heavy line-drive approach will lead to a high BAbip, and his strikeout rate slowly decreased throughout the season. He had a very workable 23.8% strikeout rate in the second half, and he cut down his strikeouts to just a 22.6% rate throughout the last month of the season.

Gonzales is also a plus runner. Once he gets going, he can motor around the bases pretty well. As a defender at the keystone, Gonzales can field his position well. He was initially drafted as a shortstop but lacks the arm to stick at the position. He’ll likely end up as an average to above-average defender by the time he’s fully developed.

As a hitter, Gonzales’s ceiling is similar to Bryan Reynolds, a high-average hitter who gets on base and racks up 30-40 doubles because he drives the gaps with authority. But he has enough power to reach 20 home runs consistently. Defensively, he’ll be just fine at the keystone and will have enough range and arm to make the trickier plays.

Number 2 – Catcher Henry Davis

There ended up being a tie for the #1 spot on our list. Since over half of our avaiable staff writers voted on this list, we turned to the readers’ opinions. We held a Twitter poll, and backstop Henry Davis ended up in second place with 30.1% of the 432 total votes.

Davis is one of the newest additions to the Pirate farm, as he was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. Although Davis wasn’t widely projected to be the no. 1 pick, he was still considered a top 3 prospect going into the draft.

The catcher put up phenomenal hitting numbers at the University of Louisville. Through 428 plate appearances, Davis obliterated opponent pitching to the tune of a .337/.435/.565 line. He walked six more times than he struck out, with a 12.1% walk rate and just a 10.7% strikeout rate. All told, he had a .439 wOBA.

Davis’s first look at professional pitching also went well. While he only had 31 plate appearances between Rookie-Ball and High-A Greensboro, Davis had eight hits, over half of which went for extra bases (2 doubles, one triple, three homers), along with four walks. He did strike out ten times, but his first sample size couldn’t have gone better.

Davis is known for his massive power potential. He should easily hit 30 home runs a year and eclipse 40 here and there. He also has solid plate discipline and a good hit tool. You’re looking at a guy that can consistently hit .275-.280 with 35 home runs on average yearly. Though his defense leaves more to be desired.

FanGraphs only projects him to be a 40-grade defender. He struggles with balls in the dirt and framing, but it’s worth noting that the latter may not be a problem within the next five years with automated strike zones. Davis does make up for his lack of pure defensive prowess with a powerful arm, which should keep base runners from thinking about taking an extra base.

Even if Davis’ defense doesn’t play well behind the plate, he could always split his time at designated hitter. Davis’ bat is his meal ticket and arguably has the highest offensive ceiling in the system. He’s a well-rounded hitter who hits for a ton of power. Next year is his age-22 season, so he may be in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates within the next year or two.

Number 1 – Shortstop Oneil Cruz

Oneil Cruz has skyrocketed into the stratosphere of prospect boards over the last year. The towering 6’7″ shortstop was acquired at the 2017 trade deadline when the Pirates sent struggling rental reliever Tony Watson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Cruz. At the time, Cruz was an 18-year-old who the Dodgers had signed out of the international market. Now, he looks like he could be a key cog to the Pirate long-term lineup.

Cruz started the year at Double-A Altoona, where he batted .292/.346/.536 with a .377 wOBA and 136 wRC+. Cruz continued to show off his phenomenal power potential, blasting a dozen homers while having a .244 isolated slugging percentage. But what he did at Altoona pales compared to what he did at Triple-A.

While it was only six games and 29 plate appearances, Cruz had 11 hits, 5 of which were home runs, along with eight walks. He only struck out five times, leading to a 370 wRC+ in this small window. The lefty batter continued his obliteration of baseball into the major leagues as he collected three hits in his first nine plate appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates. This includes a home run in which he hit on one knee and the 7th hardest-hit ball all season.

Not only did he perform extremely well in the upper minors and looked great in his first look in the majors, but I think it’s even more impressive that he did this after what happened last offseason. Cruz was involved in a fatal car accident that killed three where he, at one point, was accused of driving drunk. However, there ended up being no evidence of Cruz being under the influence. Being falsely accused of such a henious crime, as well as, in general, being involved in an accident that ended with three dead likely put Cruz through a mental turmoil, so it was very nice to see him rebound from it the way he did. If you want to read a full timeline of events relating to the incident as well as a more detailed report of the events, you can click here as we put together an article of what happened.

Cruz’s power potential is off the charts. He easily has 80-grade power and is a guy that should eclipse 40 home runs on the regular. Many see his hit tool as a bit fringy, but he’s yet to bat lower than .285 in any season since arriving to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He does have a bit of swing-and-miss, but nothing worryingly so. Guys with frames like him will always have a few strikeout questions. The bigger question has been walks, but his walk rate has steadily increased since 2018. But overall, his offensive potential is among the best in the minor leagues.

Cruz’s long-term defensive home is the real question. He’s a capable defender at shortstop and has an 80-grade arm. But with guys like the aforementioned Peguero, Chandler, Escotto, and other notable names like Ji-Hwan Bae, Diego Castillo, Hoy Park, Tucupita Marcano, Rodolfo Castro, and Mike Jarvis on hand as other shortstop capable prospects, Cruz may end up in the outfield. But he’s more than fast enough to handle the grass regularly.

Cruz will be extremely entertaining to watch in the majors regardless of where he ends up. His raw power is only rivaled by those like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Fernando Tatis Jr. Even if he only ends up hitting .260-.270, it’s more than enough for him to reach 35+ home runs on a consistent basis.