Rum Bunter
FanSided

Forgotten Pirates’ prospect has come out of nowhere to make 2025 debut a possibility

Remember him?
ByBaron Dionis|
Sep 16, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the Major League debut patch on the jersey of Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Yorke (38) during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the Major League debut patch on the jersey of Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Yorke (38) during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Back in 2022, the future of the Pirates' outfield looked great with emerging prospect Matt Fraizer. They had multiple top ranked prospects in the organization in Fraizer, Travis Swaggerty, Ji Hwan Bae, and Hudson Head.

The unfortunate result? None of them turned into serviceable major leaguers. Well, at least not three out of the four. It's looking like one of them might be saving themselves with a 2025 turnaround. Fraizer is suddenly raking and looking like a real contender to debut in September.

So far this season in Triple-A, Fraizer has produced a .301 batting average, his highest since hitting .306 in 2021. His strikeout rate is also the lowest it has ever been at 20%, accompanied by a wRC+ of 110, the best of his since 2021 when it reached 145. He's making more meaningful contact.

In 2021, he belted 23 home runs, with 20 coming in 75 games with Greensboro. That hitter's ballpark may have skewed things a little as he has yet to hit double-digit home runs in a season since then (he has just two this year).

Despite that low figure, he has still slugged 16 doubles and a triple to give him a solid slugging percentage of .432, so the power isn't all gone; it's just not what it used to be.

Former Pirates top prospect Matt Fraizer could make MLB debut in 2025

With how Alexander Canario and Jack Suwinski have played recently, they could be DFA'd at any point. Oneil Cruz is on the injured list too, and if that concussion is serious the Pirates could end his season early, opening plenty of new opportunities in the outfield. Enter Fraizer, with a real chance to debut during his current surge.

Even though Fraizer won't help the lack of power this team has dealt with, if they can tap into that contact and turn him into a productive hitter, why not give him a shot if he's one of the best Triple-A players at the moment? The 27-year-old is running out of time, and so are the Pirates. Roster will expand in a couple of weeks, and by then the Pirates should be pulling out all the stops to see who else can possibly help them in 2026 and beyond. Working with what they have is the first step to figuring out how they can save the Paul Skenes era.

Home/Pirates Prospects