3 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects who fans shouldn’t give up on just yet

It’s easy, as a fan, to give up on a top prospect. They don’t hit the ground running, they have a down year, or they get injured (again), and suddenly it’s time to throw in the towel on that prospect. The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a handful of success stories in the minor leagues this year, most notably with Konnor Griffin and Bubba Chandler. However, they have plenty more prospects who aren’t doing well and haven't stolen as many headlines.

Despite these prominent players' struggles, fans shouldn’t be eager to give up on their potential.

Pittsburgh Pirates fans shouldn't be so quick to give up on these three prospects

Termarr Johnson

Termarr Johnson was the Pirates’ first-round pick in 2022. His pro career has been filled with ups and downs, and his numbers in the 2025 season haven’t turned heads; he’s batting .253/.334/.338 with a .334 wOBA and 112 wRC+. But, on the plus side, he is walking at an above-average 10.9% rate and has only struck out 18.6% of the time. He has eight home runs and a .135 isolated slugging percentage as well.

That may not look great on paper, but the Eastern League is in a massive offensive drought. In 2023, the league average OPS and ERA were .721 and 4.26, respectively. This year, the average OPS and ERA are .678 and 3.84. For reference, league average OPS during the final year of the Deadball Era in 1920 was .697. Johnson has a sub-.150 ISO, but the average mark is all the way down at .134.

Johnson is also still young, only turning 21 last month. There are currently 73 batters in the Eastern League with at least 200 plate appearances, and Johnson is the ninth-youngest among them. He is also the 25th-youngest among the 202 Double-A batters with that many trips to the plate. The average age of position players in the Eastern League is 23.7 years old.

The thing that fans should be focusing on is the fact that Johnson is still walking at a high rate, has cut his K% below 20%, and is still hitting for some pop in a league that is suppressing offense like it’s the Deadball Era. He’s doing that all while being very young for his league.

Anthony Solometo

The last two seasons haven’t treated Anthony Solometo well. In 2024, he struggled mightily. He pitched 70.1 innings, working to a 5.98 ERA, 5.51 FIP, and 1.52 WHIP. Solometo allowed 12.4% of batters to reach via free pass, and only struck out 16.9% of opponents. The only positive you could say is that his 1.02 HR/9 wasn’t horrible, but even that number was still slightly worse than average.

This year, Solometo hasn’t been healthy. He has only made three appearances all season. The former second-rounder was originally placed on the IL in May. The left-hander attempted a rehab start at Bradenton on June 18, but only made it through two-thirds of an inning. He has since been placed back on the injured list.

If there’s one thing the Pirates have taught us this year, it’s not to give up on their pitching prospects. Mike Burrows missed nearly all of 2023 after requiring Tommy John surgery. He lost the first half of 2024 as well, and didn’t hit the ground running when he returned. Now, he’s flashing the potential to be a Major League starter in his rookie year. Braxton Ashcraft missed nearly three straight seasons from 2020 through 2022 and is also having an extremely promising rookie campaign.

The Pirates are having plenty of breakouts in their minor leagues as well. Antwone Kelly and Wilber Dotel are proving the Pirates have their pitching development figured out. Fellow southpaw Hunter Barco looks as good as ever, and is at Triple-A, pitching alongside the soon-to-be No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, Bubba Chandler.

Solometo is only 22. He still has good deception, he is still a command-first pitcher, and he was very good in 2023. The worst-case scenario is the Pirates move him to the bullpen, where his velocity should play up. He has qualities that are similar to former Pirates All-Star Tony Watson, given his reliance on command and deception over pure stuff, as well as his low arm slot. Given how well the Pirates have emphasized the best traits of their many pitching prospects, giving up on Solometo now would be pointless.

Thomas Harrington

Pirates fans were hoping that Thomas Harrington would be the Pirates’ fifth starter going into the 2025 season. While they ultimately gave the role to Carmen Mlodzinski at the time, Harrington was still called upon in just the second series of the year to make his MLB debut. This also gave the Pirates an opportunity to collect on prospect promotion incentive if Harrington looked good enough in the Major Leagues.

Unfortunately, Harrington struggled in his first taste of Major League action. He allowed nine earned runs and three home runs in only eight innings of work. He struck out seven batters, but also walked five. Harrington was then sent back to Triple-A, which took away the chance for the Pirates to earn a PPI bonus.

Harrington’s struggles have only continued since getting optioned. He is putting up a 5.94 ERA, 5.43 FIP, and 1.44 WHIP across 71.1 innings of work. Harrington is struggling with home runs, with a 1.77 HR/9 ratio. His K% has also dropped to 21.5%, compared to over 25% in both 2023 and 2024. The one positive is that his 8.2% walk rate is solid. 

But not all hope should be lost. Harrington is still inducing a whiff rate over 30% on his sweeper, splitter, and curveball. His cutter and four-seam fastball have given him the most trouble. He uses the latter over 45% of the time. A change in pitch mix could help Harrington. He still has good control, and utilizing some of his effective breaking and offspeed pitches could help make up for his lack of velocity.

Plus, like with Solometo, do fans truly want to give up on a 23-year-old after such a promising 2024, and after how well the Pirates have developed some of their other young pitchers? Harrington may not be having a good season, but give him some time. There should be more opportunities for him to figure things out still ahead.