National experts just gave this Pirates rookie a big-time endorsement

Right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in May, and he has already earned national recognition for his long-term career value.

Jim Callis of MLB.com recently ranked MLB's top 40 rookies with the best career value, and Ashcraft made the list –– albeit barely –– at No. 40. These long-term value rankings take past track record and future projection into account, along with the age at which a player initially reached the big leagues and the fragility of pitchers in general.

Despite starting 69 of 71 games in the minor leagues, Ashcraft began pitching for the Pirates out of the bullpen this year –– and it yielded great results. The 25-year-old had a 1.54 ERA in his first seven relief appearances until early August, when he made five straight starts and seven starts in his final nine appearances. Ashcraft finished with a 4-4 record over 26 appearances and eight starts, a 2.71 ERA over 69 2/3 innings pitched, 71 strikeouts to 24 walks, a .239 opposing batting average and a 1.25 WHIP. 

This ranking is a quietly huge moment for both Ashcraft and the Pirates — and it’s not because No. 40 looks flashy on paper. It’s because of what it represents about how the national baseball community views his long-term ceiling.

Unlike most year-end “rookie rankings,” MLB.com’s list doesn’t just grade what players already did in 2025. It’s built around expected long-term production, factoring in age, development curve, injury risk and sustainable skills — the traits that define whether a player will actually make it as an above-average big leaguer for the next half-decade.

So, for Ashcraft to even appear in the top 40 means national evaluators are betting on his future, not just his brief MLB stat line. They see the stuff, the command, and the maturity to hold up as a legitimate long-term rotation piece.

Braxton Ashcraft's national recognition is a vote of confidence in his durability and growth

One of the biggest knocks on Ashcraft during his prospect years was his injury history. He missed significant time recovering from Tommy John surgery and was often viewed as a “what if” talent rather than a sure thing. The fact that MLB.com now places him among the 40 most promising rookies long-term suggests scouts and analysts believe he’s past that narrative — that his velocity, secondary command and health have all stabilized enough to project real staying power.

In a ranking system where pitchers are often penalized for fragility, Ashcraft’s inclusion is a major compliment. For the Pirates, it's validation of the player-development model that has leaned heavily on pitching growth and efficiency.

While names like Paul Skenes and Jared Jones have drawn the national headlines, Ashcraft’s recognition shows that Pittsburgh's next wave of pitching depth isn’t just filler — it’s legitimately respected across MLB circles. This nod from MLB.com essentially places Ashcraft in the conversation as a rotation anchor-in-waiting, not merely a depth arm.

It’s easy for Pirates fans to overlook what a national endorsement like this really means. MLB.com’s evaluators are signaling that Ashcraft’s combination of polish, command and mound presence could translate into the kind of sustained success that stabilizes rotations for years. For a player once overshadowed by injuries and elite teammates, making this list at all is proof that Ashcraft is no longer just a recovery story — he’s a long-term investment worth believing in.