The Pirates' farm system is in a good spot, with five prospects in the current MLB.com ranking of their Top 100 Prospects. Bubba Chandler was recently named the No. 2 overall prospect on MLB.com, and Konnor Griffin, Thomas Harrington, Termarr Johnson, and Hunter Barco all round out the Pirates' top five. Other prospects like Mitch Jebb and Axiel Plaz have also surged this year, contributing to the farm system's solid standing.
Luckily for some unranked Pirates prospects, with the near-departures of Chandler and Harrington, and the recent promotions of Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft, up to four new spots in the Bucs' top 30 will be opening up.
These prospects could reap the rewards of those promotions.
3 Pirates prospects who could crack Pittsburgh Top 30 list this season
Inmer Lobo
Inmer Lobo is a pitcher who could certainly climb high into the Pirates' top prospect list. Lobo was a 2022 international free agent signing by the Boston Red Sox at 18 years old and was traded to the Pirates in exchange for Hoy Park.
Lobo spent 2022 and 2023 in the Dominican Summer League, posting 0.82 and 1.62 ERAs in those respective seasons. For half of 2024 and all of 2025 thus far, Lobo has been with the Bradenton Marauders. This season, he holds a 1.30 ERA with 30 strikeouts in just under 28 innings.
With a career sub-1.50 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP, it seems as though Lobo is destined to move into the Pirates' top 30 prospects. If he is not moved at the latest update, he will remain one of the Pirates' most underrated young prospects.
Jase Bowen
Drafted in the 11th round in the 2019 draft out of high school, Bowen has been in the Pirates' system for some time now. Although he isn't currently in the Pirates' top 30, he is well on his way in 2025.
The Altoona Curve outfielder is hitting a career-high .279 for the Pirates' Double-A squad and holds a team-high .838 OPS. He only has three home runs thus far, but is just two shy of the team leader, Termarr Johnson, the Pirates' No. 2 prospect.
With Bowen's experience and his consistent top-three statline on the Curve, he is a sneaky, yet very possible, option to creep into the Pirates' top 30.
Will Taylor
In his second year in the Pirates system, Will Taylor is making up for his lackluster 2024 and then some. Taylor is currently slashing .283/.394/.400 for the Bradenton Marauders, and every one of those stats ranks in the top four on the team.
Taylor is an outfield prospect drafted in the fifth round just one year ago. Being drafted in the fifth round led to some expectations for the former Clemson outfielder, which unfortunately led to a rough first season in Bradenton, in which he barely got over the Mendoza line in 17 games.
At this point, the only thing holding Taylor back from joining the Pirates' top 30 prospects is his lack of home run power. Taylor hit just two home runs last season, but only played in 17 games. This year, Taylor has already passed that games played mark at 19, but has yet to hit a home run.
If he can figure out a way to get some more power out of his bat, he is sure to be a ranked Pirates prospect very soon.