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Prospect Pirates stole from Dodgers last offseason surges into latest rankings

ByBaron Dionis|
The Florida Complex League (FCL) Orioles played their first night game against the (FCL) Pirates at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, July 15, 2022. Admission is free and you can bring your own food. For more up-coming games, check out the schedules of the Florida Complex League visit, mlb.com/orioles/spring-training/minor-leagues. Sar Fcl Baseball 17
The Florida Complex League (FCL) Orioles played their first night game against the (FCL) Pirates at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, July 15, 2022. Admission is free and you can bring your own food. For more up-coming games, check out the schedules of the Florida Complex League visit, mlb.com/orioles/spring-training/minor-leagues. Sar Fcl Baseball 17 | THOMAS BENDER/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

There was recently some action among the Pirates' top 30 prospects during the All-Star break. Before networks with rankings begin to make significant changes following the MLB Draft, MLB Pipeline switched up the Pirates' top 30 prospects anyway. The most notable change in Pittsburgh's group, besides Esmerlyn Valdez moving up to 15th, was Darell Morel, a 17-year-old shortstop, climbing into the 16th spot after starting the season unranked.

Morel has an interesting signing story with the Pirates, as he originally intended to have a deal with the Dodgers. As Los Angeles pursued Roki Sasaki, they had to let some of their agreements go to afford the star right-hander from Japan, leaving it to the Pirates to swoop in and sign the young slugger from the Dominican Republic.

If Braxton Ashcraft hadn't graduated from his prospect status, Morel might have remained unranked. Once MLB Pipeline saw the opportunity to slide him in, though, they did so with gusto, resulting in this high spot.

MLB Pipeline gives Pirates stolen prospect from Dodgers, Darell Morel, a massive ranking boost.

This season has been the first taste of professional baseball for Morel. He currently plays in the Dominican Summer League and has already displayed some impressive tools. Morel has belted a home run, six doubles, and four triples to generate a .453 slugging percentage. That pairs with a .396 on-base percentage to create an .850 OPS. He's also posted 15 stolen bases and a 129 wRC+. His strikeout rate of 27.8% represents his worst quality, but that type of struggle is expected at his age in his first year.

The Pirates have not exactly done well in recent years on their international signings, so seeing Morel get quality recognition as a prospect is a really positive sign from their scouting team. Edward Florentino is the only other international prospect that is looking impressive so far, as he is performing at a high level in Bradenton.

For a team that relies on internal development more than others, it is really important to land on amateurs through international signing periods and the draft. Their recent failures with international prospects is partially why the organization is where they're at now. This new wave is looking solid at first glance, so maybe they are finally turning things around.

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