3 players the Pirates should keep an eye on in the Rule 5 Draft

Shane Smith

Coleman Crow isn’t the only pitching prospect the Brewers left unprotected. They also left right-hander Shane Smith available for the taking. Smith, an undrafted free agent in 2021, has done nothing but pitch well since reaching pro ball. 2024 was by far his best season yet, and an extremely promising one at that.

Smith pitched a total of 94.1 innings, working both as a reliever and starter with 16 starts across 32 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Smith posted an excellent 3.05 ERA, 2.91 FIP, and a 1.05 WHIP. His strikeout rate was just a hair below 30% at 29.6%. Walks were a non-issue for Smith, with a 7.6% BB%. Home runs did not faze Smith, either. He only allowed a dinger at an 0.52-per-9-innings rate.

Smith works with three pitches. According to Baseball America, his four-seam fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 98. FanGraphs projects it as a plus offering. His cutter is a low-90s offering with 25.5 inches of drop. His final pitch is an upper-70s curveball with some decent horizontal movement. Smith has consistently shown an average level of command over his stuff as well.

Smith’s pitch mix would likely play better working as a reliever rather than as a starter. Either way, he’s coming off a strong season, and one that will likely garner the attention of teams during the Rule 5 process. If the righty is available when the Pirates are on the clock, the Bucs should seriously consider adding him to their bullpen.