Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Five 2021 Draft Picks Starting Strong

Right-Handed Pitcher Carlos Lomeli

You might not expect much from a soft-tossing, command-centric 17th-round pick, but Carlos Lomeli has looked pretty solid in his first taste of professional playing time. He was a late-round draft pick, but could end up being a guy to keep an eye on, at the very least. What role he’ll serve as he moves up through the minors will remain to be seen, but he’s excelled as a reliever.

Lomeli only had a 3.62 ERA and 17.9% strikeout rate but a solid 1.17 WHIP throughout his time at St. Mary’s College of California. Those numbers might not stand out, but his 0.48 HR/9, 4.9% walk rate, and 3.65 K/BB ratio did. Although he was selected by the Pittbsurgh Pirates in 2021, he would not make his pro debut until this season.

Lomeli has just 12 innings pitched this season but has allowed three earned runs. On the plus side, he has a 30.8% strikeout rate and a 0.75 HR/9 rate. On the downside, he has an 11.5% walk rate. For a guy with a sub-5% mark throughout college, you’d like to see something under 8% rather than above 10%.

Still, it’s the one flaw in his short sample size. He’s mostly been used as a multi-inning arm with seven total appearances. He also has two saves in his seven games. Unless the Pirates feel he can take on a more significant role, a multi-inning relief role might be what Lomeli ends up being in the future.