5 non-top prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system who are having sneaky good years

Derek Diamond

Derek Diamond is a fellow 2022 draft class teammate of Perachi. However, he was drafted a lot earlier, as the Pirates took him in the sixth round out of the University of Mississippi. The right-hander has spent his 2024 season at Greensboro once again. While he has run into some bad luck, he’s shown some positives that could soon earn him a promotion to Double-A.

Diamond has tossed 47 frames with a 3.83 ERA, 4.22 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. Neither his 21.7% strikeout rate, nor his 1.34 HR/9 are going to catch much attention, but his 3% walk rate will. He has the third-best walk rate among any High-A pitcher with at least 40 innings pitched. Because of his ability to limit walks, his K:BB ratio is 7.17, which is also the third-best at his level. Diamond’s home run rate is a tad high, but his 16.3% HR/FB ratio indicates that he might be getting somewhat unlucky. xFIP puts him at 3.50.

Diamond typically sits in the low-to-mid-90s with an above-average low-80s slider. He’s shown at every level so far he can command his stuff exceptionally well. His minor-league career walk rate is only 5.2%.

Diamond has had some ups and downs this month, but is still carrying a sub-3% walk rate in June. A good month of July could get him a promotion to Double-A. Diamond certainly wasn’t a late-round pick, so there is some potential, though it might be as a future long reliever/spot starter.