Pirates' newest top prospect is eerily similar to top National League rookie

Pittsburgh Pirates fans are unhappy with the sort of return Ben Cherington agreed to for closer David Bednar. Cherington promised to improve the Pirates’ roster for 2026, and he walked away with very little that would seemingly help their chances of winning next season. The headliner of the return for Bednar from the New York Yankees was prospect Rafael Flores. While it may not seem like a ton for Bednar, Flores draws parallels to one of the top National League rookies this year, Agustin Ramirez.

Ramirez was another Yankees catching prospect who was dealt at the 2024 deadline. He was sent to the Miami Marlins as the headliner for All-Star second baseman Jazz Chisholm. Ramirez crushed Double-A pitching to the tune of a .289/.372/.570 triple-slash, .416 wOBA, and 167 wRC+. He clubbed 16 home runs in only 261 plate appearances, with a strikeout percentage of just 16.7%. Ramirez also drew walks at a solid 10.7% rate. 

However, once he got sent to Triple-A, he struggled, albeit in a small sample size. Ramirez slashed .224/.328/.364 with a .319 wOBA and 86 wRC+ for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate prior to getting dealt. It was only 125 plate appearances, but his wRC+ dropping 81 percentage points was a concern when the Yankees traded him to the Marlins. Does that sound familiar?

The Pirates' newest top prospect Rafael Flores is eerily similar to top National League rookie Agustin Ramirez.

Like Ramirez, Flores also demolished Double-A pitching before struggling in a brief sample size at Triple-A ahead of the trade. Flores batted .287/.346/.496 with a .379 wOBA and 147 wRC+ throughout his first 273 plate appearances of the year. Flores was more prone to strikeouts and walked less frequently, with a 25.4% K% and 8.1% BB%. However, he also put up some solid power numbers, with 15 home runs and a .209 isolated slugging percentage. Flores had much less playing time at Triple-A than Ramirez did when he was dealt, with only 49 plate appearances. He only had eight hits, one of which was a home run. He still drew 11 walks, but struck out 13 times as well.

Both Flores and Ramirez share a similar profile. They are bat-first catchers with above-average power. According to Baseball America, both Flores and Ramirez received a 55-grade for their power. Both players' fielding prowess earns a 40-grade. The big thing that separates the two is their hit tool. BA has Flores at just a 40, but projects Ramirez at a 55. Thankfully, that profile of a bat-first power catcher has translated into the Major Leagues for Ramirez.

It’s only been 363 plate appearances, but Ramirez is slashing .244/.289/.471 with a .324 wOBA and 106 wRC+ with the Marlins. He already has 17 home runs on the season with a .226 ISO. Another positive is that he is above the 80th percentile of xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG. His 19.3% strikeout rate is above-average, but he still struggles to make good swing decisions and make contact at a high rate. Ramirez has just a 6.1% walk rate with a 33% chase rate, which is in the bottom 17th percentile of batters this year. His 25.4% whiff rate isn’t horrible, but still below average in the 40th percentile. Fielding-wise, Flores has -8 defensive runs saved, and has allowed 10 passed balls in just 325.2 innings behind the dish. 

This does not mean that Flores is guaranteed to become a 20-homer catcher/first baseman. All it means is that Flores shares some similarities with Ramirez. Both are former Yankees catching prospects who were dealt at the deadline two years in a row. Both have the potential to be bonafide big-league sluggers, but both have questions about their defensive abilities behind the dish. The Pirates need to bank on Flores becoming Agustin Ramirez 2.0, as the return for Bednar looks extremely light from the start.