Pirates' surging prospect core means a bright future in more ways than one

The Pittsburgh Pirates recently acquired outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. Not only is a he a top-100 name, but he's someone who could qualify them for theprospect promotion incentive. With the current way the Pirates' roster is structured, it looks like Garcia, right-handed starter Bubba Chandler, and infielder Konnor Griffin could each earn the Bucs a shot at an extra draft pick.

There are a handful of barriers a player must cross to be eligible for prospect promotion incentive (aside from still being a prospect). To start, the prospect must be a top-100 prospect on two of the three lists from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN. Their team must also add them to the active roster within two weeks of Opening Day, meaning they must accrue at least 172 days of service time. After that, they must win Rookie of the Year, and/or finish top three in Cy Young or MVP voting before hitting arbitration. However, Pittsburgh cannot stack those honors. So, for example, if Griffin wins Rookie of the Year, and Bubba Chandler wins Cy Young, the Pirates will not get two picks. 

Of course, the best chance the Pirates have to earn a PPI pick is Griffin, who just had an astounding first pro season, hitting .333/.415/.527 with a .437 wOBA and 165 wRC+. He started the year at Bradenton, and ended things at Double-A at Altoona. He hit for power and was a massive threat to steal, with 21 homers, a .194 isolated slugging percentage, and a whopping 65 stolen bases. Griffin is also an elite defensive shortstop, and given that he pitched some in high school, has a strong enough arm to stick there long term. That has all led to Griffin becoming baseball's consensus number one prospect. The number one prospect in all of baseball is going to be an obvious candidate to win Rookie of the Year. 

Then there's Bubba Chandler. Chandler's 4.09 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and 1.48 WHIP at Triple-A this year do not do him justice. He got a whiff 31.6% of the time while only allowing an 88.4 MPH exit velocity and 6.4% barrel percentage. Chandler made a brief MLB cameo late into the season, tossing 31.1 innings, with a 4.02 ERA, a 25% strikeout rate, and a microscopic 3.2% walk rate. Chandler had both an outstanding 109 Stuff+ and 104 Location+. Both Pipeline and BA have Chandler ranked as the 14th-best prospect in baseball. Only Nolan McLean, who had an even better late-season cameo than Chandler, is ranked ahead of him on Pipeline among pitchers, with Andrew Painter and Chase Burns ahead of him on BA.

Don't sleep on Jhostynxon Garcia, either. He hit .267/.340/.470 with 21 homers over 489 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. While he struck out 26.8% of the time, he also carried a respectable 9.2% walk rate. Overall, he had a .360 wOBA and a wRC+ of 116. As of right now, Garcia is on the backend of BA and Pipeline's top 100 prospect lists, ranking 76th and 85th, respectively. As the Pirates' depth chart currently stands, he will likely be the team's Opening Day left fielder.

Pirates have three great chances to earn an extra draft pick in 2027

If one of Griffin, Chandler, or Garcia wins Rookie of the Year next season, that will make their 2027 draft class very strong. So far, the PPI picks MLB has issued since the rule change have all been in the top 35. The latest was in the 2024 draft, when the O's received the 32nd overall selection after Gunnar Henderson won Rookie of the Year in 2023. The earliest selection offered so far has been the 28th pick. The Kansas City Royals were awarded that selection in 2025 after Bobby Witt Jr. finished top three in MVP voting the previous season, and the Houston Astros will also have the 28th pick next season thanks to Hunter Brown, who finished top three in Cy Young voting this past month.

Even if none of the three win the 2026 Rookie of the Year, it should not be out of the question that either Griffin or Chandler could be a top-three MVP or Cy Young finalist in the very near future. Griffin receives a 60-grade or better for all five of his tools. If he reaches anywhere close to his ceiling, he'll be one of baseball's best infielders. Chandler's Stuff+ in his first taste of major league action was better than teammate Paul Skenes' numbers. He also bested Brown, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Bryan Woo, Freddy Peralta, and Logan Webb, all of whom finished fifth place or better in Cy Young voting this year.

Having three players who could secure the Pirates a prospect promotion incentive pick in 2027 could be massive to the team's long-term future. All three of Griffin, Chandler, and Garcia could be staples on the Pirates' roster for years to come. Based on the kind of pick the Pirates could receive if all three crash the awards races, this trio could make the team's future even brighter.