Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Underrated Teenage Pitching Prospects

Right-handed pitcher Joaquin Tejada

Joaquin Tejada came over from the Seattle Mariners as the headliner in the Tyler Anderson trade. Tejada signed out of Panama and is considered one of the Pittsburgh Pirates most athletic pitching prospects. That gives him a pretty good outlook for future projection.

Tejada currently averages out in the 90-93 MPH range. That’s not going to make him a flamethrower, but with his projectability and 5’11”, 160-pound frame, there’s plenty of more velocity he could unlock. Give him another few years to physically mature and use his athleticism to clean up his mechanics, and he might be averaging out closer to 94-95 MPH.

That’s a very projectable fastball, but he also has a high-spin curveball that averages out with 2800-2900 RPM. It’s arguably the best pitch in his arsenal but far from the only pitch he throws. He also tosses a slider and splitter, and that gives him the opportunity to have four average or better pitches in the future.

Tejada’s athleticism gives him the chance to have plus command as well. He hasn’t pitched much in 2022, having just 26 innings of work for the Pirate Florida Complex League affiliate, but he does have 27 strikeouts and hasn’t allowed a home run with a 48.2% ground ball rate. But this also comes with 17 walks.