Pirates prospect sneaks into Top 100 list after remarkable surge

Hunter Barco is having one of the best starts to the season imaginable for any pitcher. He has thrown over 25 scoreless innings to begin 2025, setting a franchise record for the Altoona Curve. He cannot extend his own record there, though, as he was promoted to Triple-A following this impressive feat.

Barco joins a great staff in Indianapolis that includes Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, Braxton Ashcraft, and Mike Burrows. Now that Barco is there, four of their starters in Triple-A rank inside the organization's top 10-ranked prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Burrows is the odd man out, yet he is still ranked 15th.

The promotion was not the only big thing for Barco this week, as he jumped in to MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospect board, right into the 100th spot. He slid in following Jackson Jobe graduating from prospect status after spending the required time in MLB. That now means that three pitchers in the Indianapolis staff are inside that top 100 list in the MLB. Chandler is at 12th, Harrington ranks 74th, and Barco slides in 100th. There are two other Pirates on this list, too: Konnor Griffin at 38th and Termarr Johnson at 77th.

Pirates top southpaw prospect Hunter Barco jumps into MLB Pipeline's top 100 list after his remarkable start.

Barco being considered one of the top prospects in baseball does bring some more optimism about this staff long term, especially since southpaws typically pitch better in PNC Park. Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller seem locked into the rotation for the next few years, while the others in Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney may not be in the future plans past 2025.

That is exactly where Barco comes in perfectly, since they do not have a long-term plan in the rotation with left-handers. Anthony Solometo is the only other southpaw inside the Pirates' top 30 prospects, but he had a rough 2024 season and began to bounce back with two solid starts in '25, but is now injured.

While we cannot expect Barco to carry a 0.00 ERA all season, this start has been very impressive. It is starting to get him recognition. He is now the 100th-ranked prospect in all of baseball, and his debut with Indianapolis is coming soon. If he continues to do well there, his debut in Pittsburgh could happen this summer. The Pirates need a spark, and this wave of young prospects could do just that.