Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Five Notable Second Half Performances

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PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 18: Catcher Henry Davis (R), who was selected first overall in the 2021 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, poses with General Manager Ben Cherington after signing a contract with the Pirates during a press conference at PNC Park on July 18, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Pirates saw these five prospects have strong second halves of the 2022 campaign

Not every single player gets off to a great start to the season, and we often see players heat up in the second half of the season. The Pittsburgh Pirates have had Bryan Reynolds and Rodolfo Castro put up decent numbers post-All-Star Break. The Pirate minor league system also has some pretty impressive second halves of 2022.

The Pirates had plenty of top performers throughout the minor league system this year. Of course, you had the big names like Nick Gonzales, Ji-Hwan Bae, and Endy Rodriguez, but you also had some lesser talked about prospects like Jacob Gonzalez, Blake Sabol, and Abrahan Gutierrez turn in decent campaigns.

With that, I think it’s time we look at the best performances in the second half of 2022. I’m looking at what prospects did from the end of the All-Star break to today, so without further ado, let’s look at our first top performer.

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 26: Roansy Contreras #59 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches to Kyle Farmer #17 of the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning during the game at PNC Park on September 26, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Infielder Tsung-Che Cheng

Taiwanese prospect Tsung-Che Cheng turned in another quality season. In his rookie campaign in 2021, Cheng batted for a .941 OPS, .442 wOBA, and 152 wRC+ at the Florida Complex League. This year, Cheng has slashed .270/.376/.418 with a .372 wOBA and 129 wRC+. However, Cheng did a good portion of his damage in the campaign’s second half.

Cheng’s last 194 plate appearances of 2022 saw him bat .322/.451/.474, leading to an OPS of .924. While Cheng had just a .154 isolated slugging percentage, he was primarily an OBP-focused hitter. He walked 35 times with the same amount of strikeouts. Cheng used his strong ability to reach base to swipe 16 bags in 19 attempts. All told, he had a .431 wOBA and 167 wRC+.

Cheng stands at 5’7″, 155 pounds, which doesn’t give him a robust power outlook. However, he has consistently shown a strong ability to prevent strikeouts and draw his fair share of walks. He’s a speedy middle infielder who has seen time at second base and shortstop, both of which he can play reasonably well. Cheng is a good base runner who swiped 33 bases in 39 attempts.

2023 will be the infielder’s age-22 campaign. If he continues to hit well at Greensboro, we may see the Pittsburgh Pirates promote him to Double-A before the end of the season. If he can continue to develop, we could be looking at another potential middle infield option for 2024 and beyond.

BRADENTON, FLORIDA – MARCH 16: Endy Rodriguez #80 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a picture during the 2022 Photo Day at LECOM Park on March 16, 2022 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Catcher/Second Baseman/Outfielder Endy Rodriguez

Endy Rodriguez was the big story for the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system this year. Rodriguez started the year at Greensboro and is now at Triple-A Indy. Despite 2022 being considered somewhat of a breakout year for Rodriguez, he had a high-quality 2021 season in which he had a .892 OPS, .410 wOBA, and 140 wRC+ for A-Ball Bradenton. But he’s only gotten better this season.

Rodriguez started the year out slow with an ice-cold April. After heating up in May, he returned to his 2021 self, having a .903 OPS, .404 wOBA, and 145 wRC+ from the start of May through the All-Star break. Those were pretty similar numbers from 2021, if not a slight uptick. However, Rodriguez went from great to Barry Bonds-level in the second half.

Since the outset of the second half, Rodriguez is slashing .390/.470/.747 with a .512 wOBA and 220 wRC+. He’s only struck out 29 times in 215 plate appearances and has drawn 28 walks. Despite having 155 fewer plate appearances than in 2021, he matched his home run total from last season in the second half of 2022 with 15 long balls. A 220 wRC+ in over 200 plate appearances is insane. According to FanGraphs, only seven players have ever put up a 220+ wRC+ in 200 or more plate appearances at the major league level.

Rodriguez has power, plate discipline, and a knack for making contact. He’s also considered a decent defender behind the dish, but he can play first base, left field, and has seen a decent amount of time at second base this year. The switch-hitter is now pushing to at least make his major league debut this year, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he received a promotion in the last week of 2022, ala Roansy Contreras and Oneil Cruz last season.

BRADENTON, FLORIDA – MARCH 16: Jared Triolo #85 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a picture during the 2022 Photo Day at LECOM Park on March 16, 2022 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Infielder Jared Triolo

Jared Triolo turned in a quality 2021 season for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. He flew under the radar, having a .849 OPS, .371 wOBA, and 128 wRC+. It was the second season in a row he had a wRC+ of at least 110 and a strikeout rate under 20%, coming in at 19.9%. While not known for his power, he did have 15 dingers and a .176 ISO.

Now at Altoona, Triolo wrapped up his season with a .282/.376/.419 line. While Triolo did see his ISO drop to .136, he increased his walk rate to 12.7%, and his strikeout rate decreased to 17.6%. On top of that, he swiped 24 bags. Triolo ended the season with a .795 OPS, .356 wOBA, and 121 wRC+. This made it three seasons in a row where Triolo had a sub-20% K% and wRC+ of at least 110.

But Triolo would do a whole lot better in the second half. Triolo’s last 139 plate appearances of 2022 saw him bat .320/.396/.598, leading to an OPS just two ticks below 1.000 at .998. Triolo walked at an 11.5% rate and had a 19.4% strikeout rate, but the most significant uptick was his power output. Triolo had a sub-.100 ISO through the first half of 2022, coming in with a .079 mark, but then went on to post a .279 rate throughout the rest of the year. With his increased power, Triolo ended the second half with a .424 wOBA and 166 wRC+.

Triolo isn’t known for his bat but much more for his defensive prowess. He’s arguably the best defensive infielder in the Pirates’ system. But his bat is trending in the right direction, and he consistently posts decent numbers. Triolo is a third baseman by trade but has seen an increasing amount of time at shortstop and started to take reps in center field. The outfield isn’t completely unfamiliar territory for Triolo, though, as he played a decent bit of the grass in college.

With third base, shortstop, and second base already having plenty of options, Triolo may find a role as a utility man or outfielder. Next year is the infielder’s age-25 campaign, so he’ll surely get a shot at some point during the year. He may even break camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates next spring if he hits well and is healthy.

Jul 28, 2020; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; General view of the Honus Wagner statue and the exterior of the main gate at PNC Park before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Catcher/Outfielder Blake Sabol

Blake Sabol has consistently flown under the radar. He had a quality 2021 campaign at Greensboro, where he had a .933 OPS, .398 wOBA, and 145 wRC+. Although he only collected 229 plate appearances, Sabol’s season earned him a promotion to Double-A Altoona to start the 2022 season. While Sabol had decent numbers in the first half, including a .792 OPS, .345 wOBA, and 114 wRC+, his second half would significantly improve upon that.

Since the outset of the all-star break, Sabol is batting .326/.402/.560 with an OPS well over .950 at .962. Sabol is only striking out 22.4% of the time, a 4.7% improvement from the first half of 2022 and a 9% improvement from 2021. That hasn’t come at the cost of his walk rate, either. He still has a healthy 10.3% BB% in this time as well. Sabol is hitting for his fair share of pop, cranking out eight home runs in 214 plate appearances and having a .234 ISO. All told, Sabol has a .414 wOBA and 156 wRC+.

Sabol’s great play at Altoona earned him the call to Triple-A Indy, where he has continued to be a force to be reckoned with. He’s only had 93 trips to the dish, but has five home runs, an OPS just over 1.000 at 1.003, a .435 wOBA, and 165 wRC+. On top of that, he’s drawn 15 walks with just 20 strikeouts.

Sabol has been trending upward this year. He’s hitting for more power and is striking out significantly less. Although he’s mostly played catcher, he’s seen a handful of games in left field and at designated hitter. Sabol also played a decent amount of first base in college. He’s not much of a defender behind the dish and has a so-so arm at best, so if and when the Pittsburgh Pirates finally decide to give him the bump to the major leagues, he might move around the diamond.

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 17: A detailed view of the Nike cleats and Stance Socks worn by Jake Marisnick #41 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the game against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 17, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

RHP Tahnaj Thomas

Tahnaj Thomas entered 2022 as a make-or-break candidate. A right-hander with lots of raw talent, Thomas followed up a quality 2019 season with a weak 2021 campaign. He pitched a total of 48.1 innings for Greensboro, posting a 5.19 ERA, 6.49 FIP, and 1.58 WHIP. Thomas saw his strikeout rate plummet to 22.1% while walking 12.5% of the batters he faced. However, the biggest red flag was his 1.93 HR/9 rate. It’s not as if he was getting unlucky with flyballs, either. xFIP, which normalizes a pitcher’s HR/FB ratio to project their FIP, pinned him at 5.80.

Regardless, Thomas was still given the chance to take on Double-A batters, and he succeeded. Thomas started just one game all year, moving to a full-time bullpen role. He pitched 50.2 innings posting a 3.02 ERA, 3.63 FIP, and 1.26 WHIP. He reduced his home run rate by well over half to just .71 HR/9 while significantly reducing the walks. He had just a 9.4% BB% and saw his K% rise to 24.4%.

But Thomas really settled into a late-inning, high-leverage role in the second half. Thomas pitched 16.2 innings down the stretch, allowing just four earned runs. Thomas let up one long ball while striking out 27.9% of the batters he faced. Another positive was his 8.8% walk rate. Thomas posted a WHIP of just 1.14 and a FIP of 2.99. It’s not as if it took until mid-June for Thomas to figure it out, either. He had a 1.98 ERA, 2.70 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP from June through the end of the season.

Thomas works with a big fastball that averages out in the mid-to-high-90s. He has previously touched triple digits, but his velo has seen a slight decrease. Thomas also throws a decent slider. The issue with Thomas as a starting pitcher was that he lacked a quality third offering. He occasionally throws a change-up; however, it’s a distant third offering.

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With Thomas fully embracing a relief role, we could see him in the major leagues sometime next season. The right-hander is Rule 5 eligible, and the Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t about to let him go for nothing. He’d almost assuredly be claimed in the Rule 5 Draft. At 23-years-old, he’s well on his way to potentially becoming a high-leverage arm for the big league club.

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