Rum Bunter
FanSided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
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.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1140075511428919296

Next. The Universal DH is Coming. dark

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.

Home/Pirates Prospects