4 Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospects who deserve a promotion

Po-Yu Chen

In a rotation headlined by Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington, Po-Yu Chen often gets overlooked. But don’t be fooled. The Taiwanese right-hander has been just as good as both this season, especially over the last few months. Chen has also been dominant for the most part of his 2024 campaign.

Chen got off to a rough start to the year, but over his last 54.2 innings, he has just a 2.47 ERA, 3.70 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP. Chen’s K% prior to his stretch was just 10.5%, but he’s now upped that to 21.1%. He also has a walk rate of just 7.8%, with a HR/9 rate of 0.49. Chen has pitched at least six innings in six of his nine outings, and has allowed more than three earned runs just once during this hot streak.

Chen sits low-90s with his four-seam fastball. His breaking offerings include a slider and curveball. His best offering is his split-change. It’s the only pitch in his arsenal that projects as a plus offering. However, one thing that makes Chen’s stuff play up is his command. He can locate very well and has clearly been doing so over his last nine games.

Chen is only 22 but has been pitching extremely well. At some point, the Pirates need to consider bumping Chen to Triple-A Indy. He can join Harrington and Chandler at the next level, too, forming a very formidable Triple-A rotation. Even if he doesn’t project like an ace on the level of either of his two teammates, Chen could still find himself as a rotation option for the Pirates as soon as next season.