3 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects heading into a make-or-break season

Anthony Solometo

Southpaw Anthony Solometo was another 2021 high school draft pick. Like White Jr., he was also one of the better players in his draft class and went into 2024 with high expectations. Solometo entered the campaign as a top-five pitching prospect in the Pirates' system. In just his age-20 season, Solometo put up solid numbers between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. However, after his 2024 campaign, Solometo is on the back foot and needs to rebound in 2025.

In 2023, Solometo put up a 3.26 ERA, 3.46 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP in 110.1 innings of work. He struck out just over a quarter of his opponents with a 26.2% K% while also carrying a solid 9.1% walk rate, along with a HR/9 of just 0.65. Solometo was just the sixth-youngest pitcher to make double-digit starts at Double-A, so for him to put up roughly average numbers was impressive.

2024 was a lot less promising for Solometo, however. He pitched 70 innings, putting up a poor 5.37 ERA, 5.40 FIP, and 1.52 WHIP. His strikeout rate dramatically fell nearly 10% to just 16.9%, while his walk rate rose to 12.4%. Solometo's 1.01 HR/9 was one of the only numbers among his peripherals that wasn't outright horrible, but it wasn't great, either. Another area he did well in was inducing ground balls, sporting a 51.2% GB%.

Solometo landed on the development list multiple times throughout the season for unspecified reasons, which isn't uncommon for players who get placed on said list. It could have come from a mix of injuries and tweaking mechanics, but Solometo saw a concerning decrease in velocity, which he no doubt tried to address during his time away from the game. In 2023, he'd made strides forward and was sitting 91-94 MPH, but last season, he was only averaging out in the upper 80s. His command, which once looked like the best in the Pirates' system, also waned. 

According to Baseball America's prospect handbook, however, Solometo struggled to get his mechanics in check. On the plus side, he also started to see his velocity return to his previous levels late into the season. Solometo is still just 22 years old, so he's not a complete bust and has some time to get things back on track. Regardless, 2025 is going to be a big year for him.