Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Who Work Stoppage Could Hurt Most

Outfielder Travis Swaggerty

Nothing has seemed to go Travis Swaggerty‘s way in recent seasons. After not playing in 2020 due to there not being a minor league season, the Pittsburgh Pirates aggressively promoted him to the Triple-A level while skipping Double-A to start the 2021 season.

Swaggerty got off to a strong with Indianapolis. He was getting on base, hitting for power, and appeared to be on his way to a MLB promotion at some point during the 2021 season. Well, this is where his bad luck struck again.

Just 12 games into his season Swaggerty suffered a shoulder injure diving back into first base on a pick off attempt. This led to Swaggerty requiring shoulder surgery that would prove to cost him the rest of the season.

Looking ahead to 2022, Swaggerty cracking the Opening Day roster seems like a real possibility. He is 24-years-old, was arguably the top college hitter in the 2018 draft, and, while he has only played 12 games the last two years, he likely has little left to improve upon in the minors.

That said, if the work stoppage is still in place when the regular season begins Swaggerty will once again be bit by bad luck. Earlier this offseason he was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Due to this, Swaggerty, who more than anything just needs to be playing in games and getting at-bats, could find himself unable to play when the season begins.

Swaggerty still has the potential to be a quality starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he needs to get ABs and stay healthy in the process. A work stoppage that spills into the regular season would cost him ABs and could be a big detriment to him moving forward.