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The Pittsburgh Pirates have a strong minor league system, but which minor league affiliate team is the best?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the deepest minor league systems in professional baseball. Kiley McDaniel recently ranked the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 4th best farm system in baseball, while FanGraphs ranks them second. That’s even after very notable prospects like Roansy Contreras, Oneil Cruz, and Jack Suwinski have graduated to rookie status.
The team has four primary minor league affiliates. The lowest full-season level is the Low-A Bradenton Marauders, followed by the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, Double-A Altoona Curve, and Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. Each of these four teams has its strengths and weaknesses, each with at least a few worthwhile names.
Today, I want to rank the Pirate minor league affiliates. I am basing this on their current roster construction. For example, while Endy Rodriguez just made his Double-A debut, I will not consider him when looking at Greensboro’s roster construction. I am ranking these from worst to best and only the full-season teams, so you’re not going to see any of the Pirates’ FCL teams here today. So without further ado, let’s get into our first affiliate.