Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Examining Newcomers to FanGraphs List

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
BRADENTON, FLORIDA – MARCH 22: A detail of the 2021 MLB Grapefruit league logo during a spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles on March 22, 2021 at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

INF Dariel Lopez

The Pirates signed Dariel Lopez out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2018. He came out of the gates swinging in 2019, posting a .889 OPS, .427 wOBA, and 145 wRC+ at Rookie-Ball. In his age-19 season, Lopez played to A-Ball, where he put up solid numbers but didn’t come close to replicating his 2019 season.

In a much larger sample of 419 plate appearances, Lopez batted .258/.341/.393 with a .348 wOBA and 103 wRC+. The infielder did have a solid 9.9% walk rate, though struck out a bit more than you’d like. He went down on strike three in just under a quarter of his plate appearances with a 24.8% K-rate.

Lopez has played all over the infield. He primarily handled the hot corner and shortstop but logged innings at second base. Plus, he has 39 innings played at first in 2019. The long-term outlook for Lopez is that he eventually ends up at an infield corner. His lackluster speed leaves much more to be desired in the range department, which wouldn’t be ideal for a middle infield spot.

Though the long-term offensive outlook for Lopez is quite good. He is projected to have an average hit tool, as well as 60-projected grades for his raw power and game power. He stands at a sturdy 6’1, 183, giving him a strong frame for a kid who just turned 20-years-old.