Pirates may have struck gold with these two under-the-radar international signings

If you’ve followed the Pittsburgh Pirates over the last several years, you know something by now: they’re often just as interested in the margins as they are in the marquee names. And during the 2026 international signing period, they may have found two gems hiding just outside the spotlight.

The Pirates have built a reputation for scouring unconventional pipelines — from Uganda to South Africa, to San Marino — and now they’ve gone even further off the beaten path with Mingxuan Zhang, a towering 6-foot-7 right-hander born in China.

For a pitcher Zhang's size, evaluators have noted a surprisingly smooth, repeatable delivery — something that’s far from guaranteed with long-levered arms and legs. His fastball has already crept into the low 90s, and with room to add strength, it’s not hard to imagine more velocity coming.

There’s also a developmental wrinkle that makes this signing fascinating: Zhang became just the second player from the MLB Draft League to sign as an international free agent, joining St. Louis Cardinals prospect Chen-Wei Lin. That path alone speaks to how aggressively Pittsburgh’s scouting department is thinking outside the box.

Then there’s Pietro Rienzo, another right-hander — but with a very different kind of intrigue. He’s already represented Brazil internationally, including at the 2024 U18 PanAm Games, and has been a fixture on the tournament circuit. That experience accelerates maturity and exposes young pitchers to velocity, adversity, scouting adjustments — all before they ever step into a professional clubhouse.

International prospects Mingxuan Zhang, Pietro Rienzo fit Pirates' unique development blueprint

The Pirates aren’t the kind of team that's built to dominate the international signing period headlines with $4 million bonuses every January. They’re built to win through identification and development.

Zhang offers size, projection and a developmental runway. Rienzo offers tournament polish and access to an emerging baseball nation. Neither signing will send shockwaves through the baseball world, but that's kind of the point.

For a franchise like the Pirates that must out-develop rather than out-spend, success stories rarely start with hype. They start with traits, with projection, and with belief in infrastructure. If even one of these two prospects hits, it's not just a win for the 2026 class. It’s validation of a global scouting strategy that keeps widening its net — and occasionally pulling up gold where no one else was really looking.