Underrated Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects to Protect From Rule 5 Draft

Matt Gorski

Matt Gorski came out of nowhere last season. The outfield prospect put up pedestrian numbers in 2021. Although he had 17 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and a .193 isolated slugging percentage, Gorski managed a poor .710 OPS, .309 wOBA, and 89 wRC+ while striking out 31.2% of the time. The expectations for Gorski were not extremely high entering 2022, but he was unbelievably good when he was healthy.

Through 326 plate appearances, Gorski batted .280/.358/.598 with a .411 wOBA, and 153 wRC+. Gorski demolished an impressive 24 home runs. Remember, he hit 17 last season in 401 trips to the dish, and he topped that by seven in 75 fewer PAs. On top of that, he raised his walk rate to 10.2% from 8.9% last season). His 28.6% walk rate was also an improvement from 2022, though it wasn’t anything to write home about.

Gorski also swiped 21 bases in 23 attempts. He plays a decent center field, but has experience in both outfield corners, and first base. His future is definitely in the outfield, but it’s nice having the option to slide him over at first. But Gorski has a strong outfield arm, and it would be a waste to send him to first base full time.

Gorski was injured for a good portion of the season, suffering a quadriceps strain. But it was still a good season for the outfield prospect. Nobody expected him to post a slugging percentage approaching .600 or ISO well over .300, but he did just that in 2022. Gorski will also be heading into his age-25 campaign. With the power to hit 20+ home runs and the speed to steal 20+ bases, along with the ability to man center field, Gorski is a guy the Pirates need to protect. He has swing-and-miss concern, but any team would overlook that to get their hands on Gorski in the Rule 5 Draft.