3 recent Pirates prospect busts fans wish they could get a do-over with

Over the last few years, the Pirates have had a handful of highly-regarded prospects who had big expectations but did not pan out. That has actually happened a lot in recent memory to position players, and not as much on the pitching end of things.

It's all-too-familiar territory for the Pirates, who have struggled to find offense and are dealing with issues concerning former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis. Pirates fans wish they could have some of these back.

3 recent Pirates prospect busts fans wish they could get a do-over with

Cole Tucker

In 2019, the Pirates promoted their fifth-ranked prospect and former first-round pick Cole Tucker along with Bryan Reynolds. Those two were expected to make a large impact. And Reynolds did, earning himself a big extension. But Tucker did not and eventually got designated for assignment. Even after Tucker's first game, the expectations were very high as he hit a go-ahead home run to win the game and fans thought that he would be the long-term answer at shortstop.

That obviously did not work out and Tucker finished his Pirates career with a .573 OPS, five home runs, and a 44 wRC+. Those numbers were terrible, and ever since Tucker has bounced around from organizations. He is currently a free agent and will likely sign a minor league contract at some point, but that's about it.

Travis Swaggerty

Another former first-rounder that did not work out is Travis Swaggerty. He was at one point the No. 3 prospect in the Pirates organization. Like Tucker, Swaggerty had very high expectations to be the next star outfielder in Pittsburgh, but that did not happen as he only appeared in five major league games, picking up just one hit.

Swaggerty's best season in the minor leagues came in 2022, when he posted a career high in OPS with .747 while producing a slightly above-average wRC+ of 102. Obviously, one would expect higher numbers from a guy that was considered top three in the organization at one point, but he was very disappointing. Now he is signed to a minor league contract with the Mets.

Kevin Kramer

Lastly is Kevin Kramer, another guy who was ranked highly in the Pirates organization but did not follow through for Pittsburgh. In 2019, Kramer was the sixth-ranked prospect in the farm system just a year after making his MLB debut. In that debut season, he had a negative wRC+. That was in 21 games, too.

Many fans believed he could be a solid option at second base after seeing his 2018 season, posting an .856 OPS and 141 wRC+. He did just as poorly in 2019 when he got a chance once again in Pittsburgh, killing his future with the team. Kramer has not appeared in a professional game since 2021.

Given the Pirates' typically-favorable draft position, you would think they wouldn't have as many disappointments, but these three are on a long list of players who couldn't make their mark.