Underrated Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects to Protect From Rule 5 Draft

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BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 14: Ben Cherington, general manager of the Boston Red Sox, leaves the pressroom after addressing the media before a game with the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on August 14, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. John Farrell #53 of the Boston Red Sox will step down to start treatments Stage 1 lymphoma.(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

Although these five prospects may not be the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best, they’re certaintly underrated and deserve a 40-man roster spot.

The Pittsburgh Pirates got somewhat lucky during last off-season. Because of the lockout, the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft was postponed. The Pirates had protected a few notable prospects like Travis Swaggerty and Liover Peguero, but ran the risk of losing prospects like Cal Mitchell and Tahnaj Thomas.

In all likelihood, the Rule 5 Draft will not be postponed during this year’s off-season. There is no lockout this year and unless a new pandemic or a massive wave of COVID cripples the world once again, the Rule 5 draft looks to go on as planned. Of course, the Pirates will make room on the 40-man roster for the easy calls like Endy Rodriguez, Malcolm Nunez, and Mike Burrows, but there are plenty of underrated names the Pirates need to protect.

The team could easily make the roster space for these prospects too. Currently, the likes of Yohan Ramirez, Jeremey Beasley, Junior Fernandez, Eric Stout, Peter Solomon, Zack Collins, and Ali Sanchez are still on the 40-man. Duane Underwood Jr. could be a potential non-tender candidate and Kevin Newman will likely be on the trading block.

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