Pittsburgh Pirates: A Look at the Best Draft Prospect Tools

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have an early round selection in this year’s draft, so who brings the best tools to the table?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the 4th overall pick in the draft. That means they could get a top 100 prospect and highly talented player off the bat. The Pirates will need to use their draft pick wisely, as it could be an essential draft for the organization’s long-term future.

Luckily for the Pirates, there should be a whole lot of talent available in this year’s draft. There are more than enough highly talented players the team could select and find an all-star. Their last few drafts have been phenomenal, especially last year’s, where they got four players who were considered top 100 picks.

However, based on what tools each player brings to the table, who owns the best abilities? For this, I am looking at FanGraphs’ and MLB Pipeline’s grades. Their grades are based on the 20-80 scale, where 20 is the worst, 50 is average, and 80 is the best-of-the-best.

Best Hit Tool – Infielder Temarr Johnson

Temarr Johnson is considered a consensus top 2 prospect across most sources. FanGraphs has him at #1, while MLB Pipeline has him at no. 2. Although many see him going within the first three picks, it’s not out of the question if he can fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates at no. 4. If one or two of the teams ahead of the Bucs goes under slot, Johnson could be available. It wouldn’t be the first time a no. 1 or no. 2 top draft prospect fell outside of the top 3.

Johnson’s hit tool is arguably the best in this year’s draft, with MLB Pipeline grading it at a 70, while FanGraphs has it as a 55-projected. But Johnson isn’t a contact-only batter, as he has well-above-average power. Johnson has 60+ grades for his game power and raw power, by both FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline.

Johnson is a shortstop right now, but many project him as eventually shifting to the right-side of the keystone. His reflexes and arm aren’t the best and are better suited for second base rather than shortstop. He isn’t a bad runner, just not the kind of speed you want at shortstop.

Last year, Marcelo Mayer fell to the Boston Red Sox at #4. In 2020, Austin Martin fell to the Toronto Blue Jays at no. 5. Both were considered top 3 or better prospects going into the draft. So while Johnson is a top 2 prospect going into this year’s draft, there’s still a chance he falls to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Best Power Hitter & Fastest Player – Outfielder Elijah Green

Elijah Green has an extremely good chance of being available when the Pirates are on the clock. MLB Pipeline ranks him at no. 3, while FanGraphs has him at no. 7. Although Green comes with his fair share of risk, you can’t deny the power/speed combo he brings to the table.

Green has Joey Gallo power and Byron Buxton speed. Green has a 70-current and 80-projected raw power grade on FanGraphs. MLB Pipeline also gives him rave reviews for his power, putting his tool at a 60. Green’s speed is also top of the line, and both FanGraphs and Pipeline have him pinned at a 70.

With that kind of speed, he has plenty of range to remain in centerfield for the long haul. His overall glove is high-quality, and he has an elite-level arm to go with his range. He’s a guy who will consistently win Gold Glove Awards for center field.

Green’s power does come with the question of if he’ll make enough contact to make it count. He strikes out a ton, though he is still an 18-year-old. He has plenty of time to refine his skillset. Even if he becomes a Joey Gallo at the plate, he’s a Trent Grisham when it comes to rounding the bases and fielding his position.

Best Fielder – Outfielder Druw Jones

Druw Jones is already drawing comparisons to his father, Atlanta Braves all-time great Andruw Jones. Not only does he bring power to the table, but he brings an outstanding glove, one that could rival his father’s once he reaches the majors.

Jones has received high praise from MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs. Pipeline has been even more bullish on the outfielder, putting his fielding ability on a 70-grade. FanGraphs is still very high on his ability at a projected-60. They’re both in agreement he has a powerful arm, with FanGraphs placing him at a 60 and Pipeline putting him at a 65. Pipeline even goes so far to say he’s the best fielder among all the players available.

The five-tool potential is real within Jones. His worst tool is his hit tool, but at the very worst, it’s still an above-average ability. His power comes in the 60-65 range, while his speed is centerfield worthy. He’s a guy who could truly become part of the 30-30 club in the future.

Like with Johnson, Jones is very likely to go within the first three picks, but there’s a chance of him falling to no. 4. He’s one of the best players going into this year’s draft, but if one or two teams goes under slot, he might end up going to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Best Curveball – Peyton Pallette

Peyton Palette is in a similar situation to Prielipp. Once considered one of this year’s draft’s best pitchers, Pallette will likely fall down the draft because of Tommy John surgery. However, he might fall into the early 2nd round.

Pallette’s elite curveball is his best offering. The righty puts a ton of spin on his curve that sits in the upper-70’s and low-80’s. According to FanGraphs, it sat around 3000 RPM. It’s similar to New York Mets’ right-hander Seth Lugo’s curve, which is considered one of the best breaking balls in the league. FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline love the offering as it grades out as a 70 on the former’s rankings and a 65 on the latter’s.

Pallette throws a mid-90’s fastball that has touched 99 MPH before to go with his curve. He’ll also toss a change-up, and while it’s not on the level of his curveball or fastball, he has a feel for it as he can put some sink on the offering.

Palette has gotten his fair share of strikeouts through college. He has a 25.9% strikeout rate and a solid 8.5% walk rate. However, his biggest strength has been preventing home runs. He’s only given up three long balls in 61 innings of work, coming to a 0.44 HR/9 rate.

Pallette might end up in the second round to the Pirates. He ranks as FanGraphs’ 37th best prospect and 31st on MLB Pipeline. We’ve previously seen injured prospects go early into the second round, like Jaden Hill last season.

Best Slider – Kumar Rocker

It’s a real mystery where Kumar Rocker ends up in this year’s draft. Around this time last year, he was projected to go top 3. However, erratic velocity throughout the 2021 college season led to Rocker’s value falling to the 10th overall pick by the New York Mets. Many saw this as a massive steal, but in a twist of events, the Mets and Rocker couldn’t come to an agreement. This mainly stemmed from injury questions, leaving him to re-enter this year’s draft.

The last we saw of Rocker, he put up a 2.73 ERA and 0.93 WHIP through 122 innings at Vanderbilt. Rocker struck out well over a third of batters faced (36.5%) while only having an 8% walk rate and 0.59 HR/9. Although Rocker’s fastball velocity was all over the place in 2021, his slider was the pitch many came to see.

It’s a low-to-mid-80’s slider with nasty late break. Not only does it have horizontal break, but it has a whole lot of drop as well. This pitch, along with a plus fastball, curveball, and changeup, made Rocker one of the best pitchers in 2021’s draft

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Since Rocker isn’t eligible to return to play at Vanderbilt, he will now pursue an opportunity with an independent league club leading up to the draft. That way, he can get work in and face competitive batters while also showcasing his ability to scouts. The one issue that still persists is his durability. Injury question is what led to his deal with the Mets falling through, and he already had 236 innings on his arm then. He’ll add more if he pitches with an indy league team.

Still, the talent can’t be denied. A potent four-pitch mix with three of the offerings grading out in the plus-plus to elite range is a good start. It’d be awesome if Rocker were still available when the Pirates were on the clock in the second round. Although it’s not impossible to see Rocker fall that far, chances are he’ll get picked in the late-first round.

Best Changeup – Dylan Lesko

It’s not often you see a high school pitcher go super early in the draft. There have only been nine high school pitchers taken within the first five draft picks dating back to 2010. However, right-hander Dylan Lesko could find himself as an under-slot selection early into the first round.

Lesko has a nasty changeup. It’s an offering that averages out in the low-80’s with horizontal movement and plenty of depth. It’s a genuinely elite pitch that already could get major league batters out. But that isn’t his only offering. Lesko throws a mid-90’s four-seamer that is already hitting 97 MPH. He can ride his fastball through the zone when he throws it high. However, he can throw it with some sinking action when he needs to get it down. Both his changeup and fastball receive 60+ grades by MLB Pipeline. FanGraphs likes his changeup even more as they put it at a 70. His curveball is also a good pitch. It comes in around the low-70’s with a very high spin rate and loopy motion.

Lesko struck out 112 batters in only 60 innings of work with a sub-0.50 ERA in 2021. In total, over 60% of outs made were strikeouts. He also has displayed an ability to locate as well, so he isn’t just a thrower. FanGraphs already says he’s hitting Chris Paddack-like levels when he’s only 18-years-old. One thing I like seeing is all three of his offerings have distinct movement and speeds.

A great year from Lesko, especially if he can show improvement, can significantly boost his stock. FanGraphs has him at no. 13, while MLB Pipeline has him at no. 9. I don’t think you can entirely rule out Lesko and the Pirates. Last year, the Detroit Tigers selected high school arm, Jackson Jobe, at no. 3 when he was ranked no. 7 by Pipeline and #8 by FanGraphs, which is very similar rankings to Lesko’s.

Command/Control – Brandon Barriera

Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked one of the best command pitchers in the draft, left-hander Anthony Solometo. This year’s draft’s best command pitcher is another left-hander, this being Brandon Barriera.

The high schooler could go in the top 15 picks. The southpaw has been highly touted for his ability to locate his offerings. FanGraphs is a bit higher on him, putting up as the 10th best prospect with a 60-grade for his command, but MLB Pipeline also likes him. They rank him as the 21st prospect with a 55-control grade.

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All of Barreria’s offerings project as above average, and both FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline see them becoming 55-grade pitches. While he isn’t a flamethrower, he’s hitting the 90-94 MPH range as a high schooler. He’s topping out at 96 MPH, so it isn’t out of the question if he can reach more of a 92-96 MPH range by the time he’s 21-23-years-old.

He has a slider low-80’s slider, a high-spin curveball, and a deceptive changeup to go with his four-seamer. It’s a nice set of offerings to have given his near-elite command. Barrera doesn’t need to go up there, pumping 98 through the zone with regularity. If he averages out at 93-94 MPH with good make-up and secondary stuff, two things that he’s been praised for having, he’d be a guy to keep an eye on this season.