Pirates top prospect Seth Hernandez is dreaming even bigger than Paul Skenes

The Pittsburgh Pirates' pitching pipeline has become a force to be reckoned with, spitting out Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler, and Braxton Ashcraft over the last handful of seasons. Each was a highly regarded prospect in their own right, though Skenes of course stands alone as one of the most-hyped pre-debut players in recent MLB history.

Now, there's a new young gun joining those ranks, as Seth Hernandez is busy demolishing A-ball. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft became the first minor-league pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts this year, with most outlets already considering him among the top 10 prospects in all of baseball.

Naturally, a 20-year-old with that kind of helium isn't going to want to slow down. In fact, Hernandez has made it his goal to one-up Skenes when it comes to debuting in the big leagues.

Pirates' rotation will be in tremendous shape if Seth Hernandez can meet his own debut goal

Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, famously tore up the minors in historically rapid fashion. He made his debut less than a year after being selected (on May 11, 2024) at just 21 years of age, requiring all of 34 minor-league innings before coming up to the big leagues.

Hernandez wants to beat that mark, telling Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com that he dreams of debuting at 20 years old. He does have the innate advantage of being a high school draft pick — Skenes shredded the SEC at LSU before being selected — but that also he means he's less polished and experienced than his future Pirates teammate.

The Corona HS product has already made 16 rather dominant starts between Low-A and High-A, pitching to a 2.61 ERA and 3.64 FIP in 69 innings. His 40.8% strikeout rate is gargantuan and perhaps the most telling sign of his readiness for the next level of competition; if he dominates at the All-Star Futures Game, a promotion to Double-A Altoona before the end of the season should be in the cards.

In order to meet his goal of debuting in Pittsburgh before his 21st birthday (June 28, 2027), Hernandez will have to open next season in Triple-A. That would put him on pace for an early summer promotion in the event of injury or underperformance (assuming there's a season at all next year).

Of course, the Buccos have no real incentive to rush him thanks to their embarrassment of riches in the rotation, but subbing out an aging Mitch Keller for the up-and-coming fireballer would arm the Pirates with five of the best young pitchers in baseball at the same time. All of whom, mind you, will be 27 or younger next season.

If you've been looking for something to dream on, well there you go.

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