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Pittsburgh Pirates: Underrated Offerings in the System

By Noah Wright |
TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Third Baseman Drew Mendoza #22 and Outfielder J.C. Flowers #8 of the Florida State Seminoles exchange hand shakes during the team's intro before the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Third Baseman Drew Mendoza #22 and Outfielder J.C. Flowers #8 of the Florida State Seminoles exchange hand shakes during the team's intro before the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: Zach Thompson #74 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: Zach Thompson #74 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Pirates system has many talented pitchers, but what are some underrated offerings from the farm?

Everyone knows that Quinn Priester has arguably the best curveball in the minor leagues, and Jared Jones and Tahnaj Thomas are flamethrowers with elite fastballs. These are just facts about the Pittsburgh Pirates that everyone knows about. But the team has many pitchers with offerings that get glanced over.

It could be for a multitude of reasons. They’re not a top prospect, they’re not performing very well or have broken out yet, or they just aren’t that flashy. That doesn’t mean they’re bad pitchers with bad pitches, just that they have one outstanding offering. Today, I want to take a look at a few of the underrated offerings that play to an elite level.

Zach Thompson’s Cutter

What did Zach Thompson, Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen, 3rd place AL Cy Young finisher Lance Lynn, and 2nd place AL Rookie of the Year finisher Luis Garica all have in common last year? They all had cutters with -11 run value.

Zach Thompson’s cutter was almost unhittable last season. Batters managed just a .186 average, a .284 slugging percentage, and .236 wOBA against the pitch. Statcast’s expected numbers weren’t much better. Thompson managed an xBA of .215, xSLG of .336, and xwOBA of .269.

Only four pitchers had a more valuable cutter per run value. They were NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and Cleveland ‘s Emmanuel Clase, Aaron Civale, and Bryan Shaw. Among major league pitchers who made at least a dozen starts, Thompson’s cutter had the highest run value-per-100 at -2.7.

Thompson had other offerings that played at an average or better level: his sinker, curveball, and changeup, but his cutter was elite. He arguably has a top 3 cutter in the league right now.

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Carlos Jimenez’s changeup

Carlos Jimenez, in general, is an underrated arm in the Pirates’ system. Through 73.1 innings as a professional, Jimenez has a strong 2.82 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. Jimenez has a hearty 28.3% strikeout rate and great .49 HR/9. However, command hasn’t been a significant strength for him, with a 10.2% walk rate.

What makes Jimenez stand out from many of the underrated arms in the Pirates’ system is his change-up. Some might even say it’s the best change-up in the system. He gets a ton of whiffs at his change, which has led to most of his strikeouts. He pairs this nicely with a fastball that rides through the zone, along with a slurve-like breaker.

Jimenez is definitely one pitcher to watch next season. You can’t help but be intrigued by a right-hander who has an elite change-up before even turning 20-years-old. He isn’t the highest-ranking prospect or one of the organization’s best international signings from a previous year, but for sure a guy to keep an eye on.

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 11: General view of the field during a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on September 11, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 11: General view of the field during a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on September 11, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Ricky DeVito’s splitter

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Ricky DeVito in the trade that sent Richard Rodriguez to the Atlanta Braves. DeVito was an 8th round pick by Atlanta in 2019, and while he’s only pitched 57 innings as a professional, he’s been quite solid with a 3.16 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 4.12 FIP.

DeVito’s arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball that averages out in the mid-90’s, a curveball that grades out around average, and a splitter. The splitter is the pitch I want to focus on today. It’s a very effective offering that FanGraphs sees as a 60-grade pitch. Going into 2021, it was one of the best off-speed offerings by Braves’ prospects.

DeVito’s splitter has deceptive movement. It’s a pitch he can rely for the long term. His splitter has late dive that helps get his fair share of swings and misses. While the right-hander might need to refine his command, DeVito, at the very least, has the outlook of a reliever. If his fastball and curveball can play up to an average or better level, he might just be one of the lesser talked about starting pitching prospects in the Pirate system.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Third Baseman Drew Mendoza #22 and Outfielder J.C. Flowers #8 of the Florida State Seminoles exchange hand shakes during the team’s intro before the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Third Baseman Drew Mendoza #22 and Outfielder J.C. Flowers #8 of the Florida State Seminoles exchange hand shakes during the team’s intro before the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

J.C. Flowers Slider

J.C. Flowers had a quality season with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders and High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. He pitched a total of 78.2 innings, posting a 3.78 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. The right-hander was a 4th round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 and is overall one of the lesser talked about right-handers in the system.

Flowers throws a four-seamer, two-seamer, and changeup. But his slider is not only the best slider in the system, but arguably the best pitch among any offering Pirates’ prospects have. The pitch has devastating break. It resides in the upper-80’s and has massive north-to-south movement. According to FanGraphs, it can have a two-plane shape.

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Flowers’ slider is truly an elite offering. He makes batters look silly on the pitch. If one of his offerings, any of his two fastballs, or change-up can play to an average or better level, he’ll at the very least have the outlook of a reliever. If both his fastballs can play to an average or better grade, he may just end up as a starting pitcher long-term.

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