Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Player to Watch at Each Level in 2022

Bradenton Marauders – RHP Carlos Jimenez

The Bradenton Marauders have plenty of intriguing prospects to watch this year. The Marauders should be a fun team to watch between guys like Geovanny Planchart and Po-Yu Chen. But one massively overlooked pitching prospect in the system will start the season out at Bradenton, and that’s right-hander Carlos Jimenez.

Jimenez has pitched a total of 73.1 innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization between 2019 and 2021. Those 73.1 innings have yielded a 2.82 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. Jimenez has only allowed four home runs, resulting in a .49 HR/9 rate. He’s also gotten strikeouts at a healthy rate, posting a 28.3% strikeout rate. Opponents have only mustered a .223 batting average against the right-hander. His biggest flaw has been command. He’s put up a 10.2% walk rate, but that’s a workable mark with all things considered.

Jimenez’s claim to fame is his changeup. It’s arguably the best changeup any Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect has to offer. His fastball rides through the zone, and his breaking ball, a slider/slurve-like offering, is another solid pitch. It’s a pretty good pitch mix for a teenager who has already reached Low-A.

The right-hander is still only in his age-19 season, which is young for Bradenton. However, Jimenez has done well at the Rookie-Ball level and has earned the promotion. If Jimenez can sharpen up his command just a bit and continues to perform well, you might start seeing him appear on prospect rankings for the Pirates. He has an elite change-up that already makes him a guy to watch.