3 underrated Pirates pitching prospects having strong seasons

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The Pittsburgh Pirates’ system is deep in pitching talent. Bubba Chandler is the Pirates’ best prospect, while Thomas Harrington and Braxton Ashcraft aren’t too far behind. That group represents the best the Pirates have to offer, but the entire system is littered with pitching talent.

But because of all that pitching talent, some unsung performances this year have gotten swept under the rug.

The Pirates have more prospects beyond the names you see on Baseball America or MLB Pipeline’s top prospect lists who are performing well. They definitely deserve more attention than what they have gotten so far. They’ve performed just as impressively as some of the Pirates’ best pitching prospects this year as well.

3 Pirates pitching prospects who deserve more love for 2024 performances

Garrett McMillan

The Pirates’ 2023 14th-round pick, Garrett McMillan, is off to a strong start to his pro career. McMillan opened the year at A-Ball Bradenton, where he worked as a long reliever, pitching 49.1 innings in 29 appearances, including one game started. During his time there, he had a 2.92 ERA, 3.49 FIP, and 1.28 WHIP.

McMillan had some solid peripherals as well. He struck out 25.7% of opponents with a 7.8% walk rate. He also was not home run prone, as he allowed long balls at a 0.73-per-9 rate. The righty induced a whiff rate of 31.1% and an average exit velocity of 87.3 MPH.

McMillan has made a great first impression at Greensboro. He has pitched nine scoreless innings, struck out a dozen batters, and only allowed two to reach via free pass. In McMillan’s most recent outing, the righty fired off three perfect innings while striking out a whopping six opponents.

McMillan’s four-seam fastball averages out in the low 90s, but he throws the pitch with above-average movement. His curveball sits in the low 80s with solid vertical movement. McMillan’s changeup also has good movement with similar velocity to his curveball. His second breaking pitch is a slider with about 36 inches of vertical drop to it. He’ll also mix in a sinker from time to time.

McMillan is an intimidating presence on the mound as he stands at 6’4", 235 pounds. He is already 23 years old, so he’ll likely open 2025 at Double-A or Triple-A. So far, McMillan has worked well as a long reliever. If he keeps pitching anything like he has this year, he could be a potential option for the Pirates’ big league club in the near future.

Mike Walsh

Mike Walsh had a promising start to his 2023 season. The former ninth-round pick from 2022 pitched 9.1 innings in ‘23, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 11 with three walks. Unfortunately, those would be the only innings he pitched that year, succumbing to an early injury. Walsh would open 2024 once again at Bradenton and pitched very well in a larger sample size of 27.1 innings. Walsh had an ERA below 1.00 at 0.93, along with a 2.29 FIP and 0.69 WHIP.

Walsh struck out over a quarter of his opponents faced at the level this year, sporting a 26.9% K%. He also rarely handed out free passes, clocking in with a 3.8% BB%. Walsh was completely immune to home runs. He didn’t allow a single long ball and held opposing hitters to an 82.5 MPH average exit velocity and zero percent barrel rate.

This performance earned him a promotion to Greensboro, where he has continued to pitch well. He’s only logged 5.1 innings for the Grasshoppers, but has allowed just a single earned run. He has walked three, but has also struck out six. The righty relief prospect allowed his first home run of the season with Greensboro.

Walsh throws both a four-seam fastball and a two-seam fastball. Both sit around 92-93 MPH. He’ll also throw an upper-80s cutter with above-average movement. Walsh’s second breaking pitch in his arsenal is his curveball that has good horizontal movement. Walsh is 23 years old, so he could be an option for the Pirates’ bullpen next season if he continues to pitch well.

Alessandro Ercolani

Alessandro Ercolani might be the best prospect of any of the names on today’s list. The right-hander from San Marino had a solid season in 2023 at Bradenton. He’s now having a better year at Greensboro, owning a 3.60 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and 1.14 WHIP through 65 innings of work.

Ercolani has struck out his fair share of batters with a K% just a touch below 30% at 29.4%. Neither walks nor home runs have been a huge issue for him, either. He has an 8.6% BB%, as well as a 1.11 HR/9 rate. Ercolani has been used in a swingman role, starting nine of his 20 appearances.

While Ercolani’s surface numbers are good, the negative elements have been inflated by one outing where he allowed nine earned runs, two home runs, and three walks in 2.1 innings in May. Outside of this one game, Ercolani owns a 2.44 ERA, a 30.8% strikeout rate, an 8% walk rate, and a HR/9 rate of just 0.86. This blowup represents one of just two games where he allowed more than three earned runs. The other was May 4th, when he allowed four.

Ercolani works in the mid-90s. His secondaries include a cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup. Last year, his four-seamer and cutter were his primary offerings. Ercolani struggled with his control in the past. He had a walk rate above 10% in both 2022 and 2023, but he’s quelled some of those walk concerns this year.

The most impressive part is that Ercolani has been able to do this at just 20 years old at High-A. He is the third-youngest pitcher at High-A to have thrown at least 50 innings, as well as the youngest in the South Atlantic League. The average age of pitchers in the Sally League is 23.1 years old. He has a very good chance of making his Double-A debut before his 21st birthday, which is April 20th, 2025. Given how well he’s pitched this year, it might happen before the end of this season.

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