Extremely outside-the-box experiment could give the Pirates more pitching depth

If there is one thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have seemingly figured out, it’s pitching development. Many of their former top prospects have shown a ton of talent in the major leagues over the last few seasons, like Jared Jones, Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, Bubba Chandler, and Mitch Keller. Even if Ben Cherington can’t take full credit for guys like Burrows, Ashcraft, and Keller, given that they were former Neal Huntington picks, they still did most of their development with the Bucs. Plus, the organization has found many diamond-in-the-rough relievers in recent years.

However, the Pirates can really put their pitching development to the test in a very outside-the-box way by signing former top international prospect Oscar Colas, and attempting to transition him to a pitcher.

Oscar Colas was signed by the Chicago White Sox out of Cuba as an outfielder during the 2021-2022 offseason for $2.7 million. He was one of the most hyped top international prospects in recent history at the time, as he dominated the Cuban National Series and Japan’s NPB, and he lived up to the hype during his first season.

Colas turned in an outstanding .314/.371/.524 triple-slash with a .394 wOBA, and 137 wRC+ over his first 526 plate appearances in US ball. Known for his power potential, Colas went yard 23 times with a .210 isolated slugging percentage. The biggest downside to his game was his subpar 7.2% walk rate and 22.4% strikeout rate, neither of which jumped off the page. Colas’ 2022 season was his age-23 season, so he moved up the minor leagues quickly, starting the year at High-A and ending the season at Triple-A.

Colas’ 2022 earned him even more prospect notoriety, as he was a consensus top 100 prospect going into 2023. The Sox were so confident in Colas’ abilities that they broke camp with him on their Opening Day roster. Unfortunately, Colas struggled mightily, hitting a mere .216/.257/.314 with a .249 wOBA and 53 wRC+. Colas struck out 27% of the time with a meager 4.6% walk rate. The power he showed in the minor leagues did not translate, as he only went yard five times in 263 plate appearances and had a sub-.100 isolated slugging percentage. His defense wasn’t unplayable, but it wasn’t good either, with -5 defensive runs saved, and zero outs above average.

Oscar Colas struggled as a position player in MLB, so could he try his hand at pitching again?

Colas hasn't gotten any better over the last two seasons. He struggled at Triple-A in 2024 and only appeared in 13 MLB games. The White Sox then released him in May 2025, and the Los Angeles Angels quickly picked him up. Unfortunately, that faith was rewarded with a sub-.650 OPS for both the White Sox and Halos’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Most of his playing time came at the Double-A level. He was recently one of the many minor league free agents released.

So why would the Pirates even think about trying Colas as a pitcher? Coming out of Cuba, there was serious discussion about whether Colas could be a two-way player. When Colas defected from Cuba to the United States during 2020 to pursue a big-league job, some were already nicknaming him the “Cuban Ohtani.” Colas had only pitched 3.1 innings as a professional during 2018-2019 while in Cuba; however, he was clocking in around the low-to-mid-90s as a 21-year-old left-hander in 2020. 

Colas definitely flashed that arm strength during 2023. His throws from the outfield averaged 93.2 MPH, which was in the 96th percentile. That was the 17th best among qualified fielders, and the 16th best among qualified outfielders. Both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America considered his arm strength a plus tool, at the very least. Given that he was a position player, he’d likely have above-average athleticism on the mound as well.

When the White Sox signed him, he chose to focus solely on hitting and playing the field. However, it’s clear that it hasn’t worked out well for him. His numbers dropped off significantly as he went from High-A to Double-A and Triple-A before struggling in the major leagues. Even this past season, he only had a 101 wRC+ in 372 plate appearances at Double-A. 

Colas’ options are limited: accept a minor league contract and try to break through to Triple-A again, head into the independent circuit, go back overseas to an Asian league, or try something different. The Pirates and their pitching development path represent one of the few teams likely suited for such an undertaking. They’ve found plenty of pitchers with little to no success (even in the minor leagues) and have turned most of them into viable pieces. This would be their most difficult task yet, and would be one of the most outside-the-box ideas in recent Pirates history, but for such a low-risk shot, it might be something the Pirates should look into.