Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Rum Bunter’s Preseason Top 10
By Noah Wright
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.