3 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects who must build off strong 2024 finishes

The Pittsburgh Pirates saw top prospects like Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington follow up their promising 2023 breakout seasons with outstanding 2024 seasons, leading them to become two of the Pirates' best prospects. Chandler and Harrington's great encores put the Pirates in a fantastic position. Both performed well between Double-A and Triple-A, and are now on the doorstep of the Major Leagues. By the end of the 2025 season, both could be playing key roles for the Bucs.

But, below the upper crust, the Pirates have plenty of other prospects coming off solid seasons in 2024. For some, 2024 represented their first extended look in the minor leagues, and some of those unheralded names who finished strong could follow in the footsteps of both Harrington and Chandler. This trio following up their 2024 successes with another good campaign in 2025 will very much help the Pirates in the near future.

3 Pirates prospects who can secure their future with strong follow-up seasons in 2025

Mitch Jebb

Pirates infield prospect Mitch Jebb didn't start off his first full pro season on the right foot. After the first week of June, Jebb was hitting just .197/.258/.292 with a .259 wOBA and 60 wRC+. Jebb wasn't drafted for his power, which was clear by his sub-.100 isolated slugging percentage, but he also struggled to get on base, with a batting average below the Mendoza Line and a mediocre 7.7% walk rate.

However, the most worrisome aspect of this stretch was his 27% K%. Thanfully, from that point forward, Jebb hit .292/.395/.399 with a .373 wOBA and 132 wRC+. Jebb walked nearly as often as he struck out, posting a 13.6% BB% and 14% K%.

Jebb continuing to hit well into 2025 would be big for the Pirates for a few reasons. First, he would likely put himself in a position for the shortstop job for 2026. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa becomes a free agent after the 2025 season, and the shortstop market looks bleak. If IKF looks more like his Blue Jays self in 2025, he would likely be the second-best shortstop on the free agent market next offseason (not including any players with options).

The second reason is that Jebb would immediately become exactly what the Pirates need from the leadoff spot. Pirates leadoff hitters have put up a below-average on-base percentage over the last two seasons. Not only does Jebb hit for average, but he can draw walks at a decent pace. He is also one of the fastest runners in the Pirates' system. Jebb would give the Pirates a lot of chances to score runs by getting on base, stealing, and putting himself into scoring position.

A third reason is that it would be a big win for the Pirates on the hitting development side of things. The Pirates have made many changes among their player development personnel recently. One of the most significant differences year-over-year involves bringing in a hitting coach with a decent reputation in Matt Hague. Hague's preferred approach could work very well with Jebb's play style. Blue Jays rookies have the 10th-best contact rate in baseball since Hague joined the organization in 2020 as a minor-league coach.

Jack Brannigan

Jack Brannigan missed part of the 2024 season due to injury, but was still very productive in the 341 plate appearances he had. In total, Brannigan slashed .235/.344/.490, with a .378 wOBA and 135 wRC+. He went yard 18 times with an isolated slugging percentage well above .200 at .252. The infield prospect walked in 11.7% of his plate appearances but, more importantly, saw his K% drop from 29.9% in '23 to 26.1% last year for Greensboro. While his batting average dropped from .275 in '23, Brannigan put a heavier focus on fly balls, causing a dip in BABIP from .363 to .276.

Like Jebb, if Brannigan does well in 2025, that gives them their potential shortstop for 2026. Although he was drafted as a third baseman/RHP, he saw most of his innings at shortstop in 2024. He's considered a plus defender with an arm that can play anywhere, given he was a pitcher in college and was pumping high-90s fastballs. He projects as an even better defender than Jebb.

The Pirates' defense at shortstop hasn't been great. Last season, they combined for -11 defensive runs saved and -7 outs above average. Moving Oneil Cruz to center field and implementing IKF full-time will definitely improve the glovework at shortstop, but Brannigan could be the best defender the Pirates have had at shortstop in a long time.

Brannigan will likely pair with Jebb up the middle at Altoona next year. That would be huge for the Pirates, as long as he can continue to hit for power and lower his K% as he gets to the upper levels of the minor leagues. The Pirates had just a .137 isolated slugging percentage with 160 home runs last season. Both numbers ranked bottom five in baseball, and the Pirates haven't ranked in the top half of the league in either stat since 2014. Brannigan has the potential to be a 20+ home run hitter at the next level. Now, he has to build upon his foundation.

Carlson Reed

Carlson Reed opened the 2024 season at A-Ball Bradenton, where he worked to the tune of a 2.43 ERA, 3.49 FIP, and 1.25 WHIP. Reed got a ton of swings-and-misses with a 32.2% whiff rate, resulting in a K% of 29.7%. He also did not allow much hard contact or home runs, with an 85.4% exit velocity, 3.3% barrel rate, and 0.46 HR/9. Reed struggled with walks, clocking in with a 13% BB%, but he had an otherwise strong run at Bradenton, which led him to join Brannigan and Jebb at Greensboro.

Reed only made six starts and pitched 31 innings at High-A, but it couldn't have gone any better for him. He had both a sub-1.00 ERA (0.87) and WHIP (0.65). Reed only allowed one home run and struck out nearly 30% of the batters he faced, rocking a 29.8% K%. He also started hitting the strike zone much more frequently; his walk rate in this small sample size was only 7.9%.

Reed performing well for the Pirates would be a huge win for them on multiple fronts. For one, it would only further reinforce how good the organization has become at developing pitching talent. The Pirates drafted Reed as a reliever. He did not make a single start throughout his final season for West Virginia University. Reed performing well as a starter in his first year in the minor leagues, mostly spent at the lowest full-season level, is one thing. But repeating that success in a second season while reaching Double-A at just 22 is another thing entirely.

On top of that, Reed gives the Pirates yet another young pitching prospect who they could slot into their rotation as soon as 2026. He could also start appearing on top 100 prospect lists with another strong season, especially if he can do well at Altoona. Baseball America's newly updated Pirates top 30 prospect list puts Reed as the team's 16th-best prospect, with three of his pitches projecting as above average or better.

Reed pitching well and rising up prospect boards would be great for the Pirates' system. Over the last year, they've traded a handful of pitching prospects that ranked among their top 30 minor leaguers as late as just prior to the 2024 season. That includes Quinn Priester, Patrick Reilly, Josh Hartle, and Michael Kennedy. Restocking the system from within will be paramount, especially as Pittsburgh continues to entertain more "pitching for offense" trades.