3 Pirates offensive prospects putting up ridiculous video game numbers in May

Axiel Plaz

Axiel Plaz made his Bradenton debut last season and stepped to the plate 281 times. He showed plenty of pop, smacking 15 home runs and putting up a .231 isolated slugging percentage. While Esmerlyn Valdez ranked an impressive fifth in barrel rate, Plaz was number one in this particular batted ball metric. Unfortunately, he struck out nearly as often as Valdez, with a 29.2% K%.

While Plaz would return to Bradenton to open 2025, he’s done very well, slashing .293/.377/.504 with a .411 wOBA and 143 wRC+. He has already hit seven home runs in 154 plate appearances, but has cut his K% down to 18.2%. His walk rate sits at 9.1% as well, and he has an isolated slugging percentage of .211.

Plaz hit for a ton of contact in April, striking out just 13.9% of the time, but had a sub-.100 ISO. While he’s now striking out more frequently, his power output in May has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. He is slashing .298/.373/.667 with a .459 wOBA and 172 wRC+. Six of his seven home runs on the year have come over his last 67 plate appearances. Nearly 10% of his trips to the dish have ended with a long ball. His K% has risen to 23.9%, and his whiff rate sits at 32.1%, but his walk rate is about average at 11.9%.

His .368 isolated slugging percentage is the best at A-Ball this month among batters with 50 or more trips to the plate. The next closest is NY Yankees outfield prospect Dillon Lewis at .351. Lewis, along with fellow Bradenton backstop Derek Berg, are the only A-Ball hitters in May with a barrel rate over 20%, with Plaz sitting at 20.9%.

An ISO above .360 is insane. The last player to do it was Aaron Judge ... in 2022, 2024, and now this season. While he still needs to cut down on the whiffs, Plaz is just 19 and won’t turn 20 until August 12th. He is currently the 11th-youngest qualified hitter at A-Ball, with only two other players who are younger than 20 hitting better than him in terms of wRC+.