5 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects to watch at the Florida Complex League

Estuar Suero

Last year at the trade deadline, the Pirates sent first baseman Ji-Man Choi and aging lefty starting pitcher Rich Hill to the San Diego Padres for three players. Of the trio of athletes they received, Estuar Suero was by far the most interesting. The 18-year-old switch-hitting outfielder has a ton of raw talent with a sky-high ceiling.

Suero has 345 plate appearances between the Padres and Pirates' affiliates, batting just .235/.336/.368 with a .344 wOBA, and 89 wRC+. Suero is walking at a respectable 11.8 percent rate, but he's also striking out nearly 30 percent of the time (29.1 percent). Suero has started out 2024 3-8 with a double.

There are a lot of reasons to be intrigued by Suero. The sky's the limit for the switch-hitting outfielder. He is only 18, but already stands at 6 foot 6, 180 pounds. He's already shown off the potential to be a plus power hitter and plus runner. There's also a real chance he could stick in center field, too. 

The definition of Suero's skillset right now is raw talent. The size, the athleticism, speed, power, and the ability to switch-hit give him an immense amount of potential. The talent just needs refined. At 18, there's time to do that. 

David Matoma

Uganda isn't typically a hotbed for baseball talent. But that didn't stop the Pirates from signing right-hander David Matoma out of the country in the 2022-2023 off-season. Matoma is just the third Ugandan baseball player to sign with a Major League Baseball team in North America. Matoma is an interesting story, but has powerful stuff on the mound too.

Matoma hits triple-digits and reportedly hit 100 on his first strikeout of the season. On top of lighting up radar guns, Matoma made a great first impression last year. He pitched 16.2 scoreless innings for the Pirates' Dominican Summer League affiliate with 14 K's and seven walks.

Baseball America is very high on Matoma, ranking him as the Pirates' 30th-best prospect already. They include in their write-up that Matoma's fastball has good induced vertical break and that he can hit the zone with his three secondaries, including his mid-80s cutter, curveball, and his change-up. Command might be his weak point as it sits at a fringe-average level right now, but with a 100 MPH fastball and the potential for average command in the future, he might do alright.

If Matoma stays as a reliever, the Pirates might be able to move him through the system with more haste. He's a powerful arm with the potential for a plus-plus fastball and two average or better secondary offerings. The command might not be the best, but as long as it doesn't stray below fringe average, he should be okay.

Jhonny Severino

Around the time the Pirates acquired Suero, they also acquired infielder Jhonny Severino. Severino headed to Pittsburgh from the Milwaukee Brewers in a one-for-one swap for veteran first baseman Carlos Santana. Another teenage prospect with a ton of raw potential, Severino will get his first extended look in the Pirates' system this year.

The 19-year-old batted .259/.302/.586 with a .379 wOBA, and 104 wRC+ through 63 plate appearances with the Pirates' and Brewers' complex league affiliates. Severino hit five home runs and had a .328 isolated slugging percentage. He also only struck out 11 times, but only had two base on balls.

Severino has the potential to be a plus power hitter. He's 6 foot 2, 185 pounds, and has used that frame to produce some hard-hit baseballs. But the downside is that he doesn't have the best approach. He was overly aggressive last year, which led to just his pair of walks in over 60 plate appearances. While he didn't strike out much, his pitch selection will need to improve.

Severino has seen time at shortstop, second base, and third base. He's already not a great runner, and by the time he fills out, might be fringy at best. The arm is above average, however, so he could move over to the hot corner as he matures. If the athleticism sticks, he might even be able to move to left field.

Axiel Plaz

Currently, the best catcher in the Pirates' system is arguably Axiel Plaz. The Pirates signed Plaz in the 2021-2022 off-season and he made a massive splash on the scene in his first look against professional pitching, batting .382/.500/.706 with a .550 wOBA, and 202 wRC+ through 86 plate appearances. Plaz had three home runs and 11 doubles. He also walked (13) nearly as many times as he went down on strikes (16).

His encore wasn't nearly as good, however. After getting moved to the FCL, Plaz turned in a .144/.359/.237 triple-slash, .332 wOBA, and 81 wRC+ in 132 plate appearances. The backstop only collected a singular home run and struck out 41 times. The only positive takeaway is that he drew walks at a more frequent pace, upping his BB% to 16 percent. Plaz has appeared in two FCL games and is 1-6. He has a walk, but at least he hasn't struck out yet.

Plaz's defense is considered his strong suit. He has thrown out 29 percent of the runners that have tried to steal on him. He's also displayed above-average receiving skills, according to Baseball America. Plaz also has the potential to be an above-average power hitter. His eye at the plate is advanced for someone his age as well. While he sees the ball well, he will need to cut down on the swings and misses.