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3 Pirates prospects who could have unexpected rebounds in 2025

These three Pirates prospects have very little expectations upon them for 2025. However, their strong debuts to the year could lead to an unexpected rebound.
ByNoah Wright|
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(FCL) Pirates' on deck Shalin Polanco. The Florida Complex League (FCL) Orioles played their first night game against the (FCL) Pirates at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, July 15, 2022. Admission is free and you can bring your own food. For more up-coming games, check out the schedules of the Florida Complex League visit, mlb.com/orioles/spring-training/minor-leagues. Sar Fcl Baseball 32
(FCL) Pirates' on deck Shalin Polanco. The Florida Complex League (FCL) Orioles played their first night game against the (FCL) Pirates at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, July 15, 2022. Admission is free and you can bring your own food. For more up-coming games, check out the schedules of the Florida Complex League visit, mlb.com/orioles/spring-training/minor-leagues. Sar Fcl Baseball 32 | THOMAS BENDER/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK
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1. Shalin Polanco

Shalin Polanco was the Pirates' top international signee during the 2020-2021 offseason. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 10th-best international player, and he looked to be turning a corner in 2023. In just his age-19 season, Polanco had a .763 OPS, .353 wOBA, and 104 wRC+ while posting an isolated slugging percentage approaching .200 at .199 at Bradenton. His 28.7% K% was unimpressive, but he looked much better during the summer months in June and July. That was until his season was cut short due to injuries.

Polanco didn't play after July 19 in 2023, but returned to A-Ball to start 2024. Unfortunately, he only hit .191/.280/.343 with a .298 wOBA, and 80 wRC+. Polanco had 11 home runs with a .152 isolated slugging percentage. His 10.2% walk rate was the only number on his stat sheet that wasn't well below average. Most regrettably, he struck out 31% of the time, and his 36.7% whiff rate was the seventh-highest among all A-Ball hitters with at least 250 plate appearances.

Despite his struggles at Bradenton, Polanco was promoted to Greensboro to start 2025. For what it's worth, he already has two hits in nine plate appearances. He has also drawn a pair of walks, alongside a pair of Ks. Surprisingly, he has only swung and missed five times at 40 pitches, which is a whiff percentage of only 12.5%.

It's only been nine plate appearances, so take his performance thus far with a grain of salt. But remember, Polanco is still only 21 and doesn't turn 22 until next February. With how high his strikeout and whiff rate was last year, expectations are likely low for Polanco. But if he can continue to keep his swing and miss to a minimum, he might be able to rebound this season.

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