One underrated player at each Pirates minor league team to watch in 2025

Underrated Pirates Minor-Leaguer in Greensboro: Duce Gourson

Duce Gourson was the Pirates’ ninth-round pick in 2024. The UCLA product batted .300/.435/.482 across 786 plate appearances in parts of three college seasons. Gourson walked in 14.9% of his plate appearances with a 21.6% strikeout rate. He was efficient on the basepaths, swiping 23 bags in 27 attempts, and also went yard 21 times with a .182 isolated slugging percentage.

After getting drafted, Gourson split the year almost evenly between Bradenton and Greensboro. He appeared in 11 games with 48 plate appearances, collecting eight hits, including four doubles and 10 walks. He also struck out 10 times. He had a respectable 26.2% whiff rate while posting an 89.1 MPH exit velocity and 8% barrel percentage.

Gourson ended his year at Greensboro, where he appeared in 11 more games with 47 plate appearances. However, his production didn’t match the level he appeared to reach at Bradenton. He had seven hits, but only five walks with 11 strikeouts. Only one of his hits went for extra bases, which was a double. 

Although Gourson doesn’t project to be a big power hitter, he has gap power to rack up doubles at a decent rate. Gourson has experience at second base, third base, and shortstop. His glove is considered average at the keystone, as is his speed. While Gourson does not have one standout tool, he could develop into an overall well-rounded player.

Honorable Mentions: Esmerlyn Valdez, Omar Alfonzo

Underrated Pirates Minor-Leaguer in Altoona: Garrett McMillan

When you look at some of the best performers in the Pirates’ system from last year, Garrett McMillan is a name that surprisingly stands out. The Pirates’ 14th-round pick from 2023, McMillan served as a long-reliever/swing-man between A-Ball Bradenton and High-A Greensboro, putting up some very strong numbers in 2024.

McMillan pitched a total of 70.1 innings in 36 appearances (four starts), working to a 2.18 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP. He only walked 7% of batters, but allowed just four home runs and struck out 28.2% of batters he faced. McMillan spent a good portion of his season at Bradenton (49.1 innings, to be exact), where he got opponents to swing and miss 31.1% of the time. This came with a slightly below-average 87.3 MPH exit velocity and 6.8% barrel percentage.

McMillan primarily uses four pitches, including a four-seamer, slider, changeup, and curveball. He will also occasionally mix in a sinker and cutter. The right-hander does not throw hard, averaging out around 91-92 MPH, but has displayed above-average movement. His fastball was his most-used pitch. McMillan’s low-80s curveball and mid-80s slider both induced a whiff rate over 30% and had about average vertical break. His low-80s changeup also created its fair share of swings-and-misses (32.1%) and had average movement as well.

McMillan is heading into his age-24 season. He already pitched 21 innings at Greensboro and put up an 0.43 ERA, 1.43 FIP, and 0.95 WHIP, struck out 34.9% of batters faced with a 4.9% walk rate, and did not allow a single home run. If he doesn’t start the year at Altoona, then he should get an early season promotion, even if he pitches only half as well at Greensboro as he did last year.

Honorable Mentions: Wilber Dotel, Alessandro Ercolani