5 former top prospects the Pirates should take chances on to improve depth

Sixto Sanchez

Sixto Sanchez once looked like he was on his way to becoming one of baseball’s biggest stars. Once one of the game’s best prospects, Sanchez made his MLB debut during the shortened 2020 COVID campaign and impressed with a 3.46 ERA, 3.50 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP through his first 39 innings in the major leagues for the Miami Marlins.

2021 would only be Sanchez’s age-22 season, and he headed into the season ranked as a top-10 prospect in baseball by some outlets. Unfortunately, this would be the start of the collapse for the young flamethrower. Sanchez would not pitch in the majors in 2021, 2022, or 2023. He sufferedmultiple injuries and underwent numerous shoulder surgeries in his various attempts to return to the mound.

Sanchez did make an appearance at Triple-A late into 2023 and finally made it back to a big league mound in 2024. The results, however, were not pretty. Sanchez had a 6.06 ERA, 4.74 FIP, and 1.60 WHIP in just 35.2 innings. He also had a meager 10.5% strikeout rate with an 8.5% walk rate. The only silver linings were his 0.76 HR/9 and 6.3% barrel rate.

Sanchez was once one of the hardest-throwing pitching prospects in baseball. When he made his debut in 2020, Sanchez averaged 98.5 MPH with his four-seamer. For reference, Paul Skenes averaged 98.8 MPH with his heater in 2024. During his time on the bump this past season, Sanchez only averaged out at 93.7 MPH with the same pitch.

Sanchez would definitely be a higher-upside arm to stash at Triple-A over Domingo Germán or Jake Woodford. It has been a lot of years (and a lot of injuries) since Sanchez was seen as a force to be reckoned with, but it would be worth stashing him at Indianapolis to see if he can regain any semblance of his former self.