One draft prospect at each position that should be on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ radar

Right-handed pitcher

Trey Yesavage

Right-hander Trey Yesavage was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Over the last two seasons, the East Carolina University right-hander has been downright dominant, especially in 2024. He has worked his way up into being a top 15 pick in this year’s draft and could definitely be someone the Pirates at least consider.

Yesavage has pitched 56 innings for East Carolina in ‘24 with a 1.66 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 5.06 K:BB ratio. He has only walked 8.1% of the opponents he has faced, but has improved his strikeout rate from an already quality 33.9% rate in 2023 to 41.1% in 2024. Yesavage has also seen his HR/9 take a significant step in the right direction from 1.30 to 0.32. He’s allowed nearly one whole less home run per nine innings.

Yesavage typically sits mid-90s with his fastball and his high arm slot gives the pitch some carry. However, his best pitch is his splitter, which comfortably sits as another plus offering. His slider has shown plenty of potential in the past, but it’s only flashed plus on occasion this year. His curveball is another above average offering, but there’s still a chance for two plus offerings, and two more above average pitches, all with decent command.

Yesavage could trade in his East Carolina Pirates uniform for a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform this summer if the Pirates opt to pursue one of the top right-handed pitchers in the draft. In his recent mock draft, Joe Doyle from Future Star Series has him landing 12th in the draft and ranked 9th overall.