Pirates position player prospects who could make a significant impact in 2025

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When talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system, most directly go to the pitching talent. After all, the Pirates’ system might have the best pitching depth among all 30 teams. But the team's position player prospects rarely get the same attention. Termarr Johnson and Konnor Griffin get their love, but they’re about the only ones who get brought up.

While the pitching talent vastly outweighs the position player talent in the Pirates’ system, there are still some players that could make a real impact in the Pirates’ 2025 lineup. These three could potentially play important roles with the Pirates’ 2025 squad, and deserve a deeper dive.

3 Pirates Offensive Prospects Who'll Play Larger Role on 2025 Roster

Mitch Jebb

The Pirates took Mitch Jebb in the second round of the 2023 draft. Coming out of college, Jebb hit for a ton of contact, rarely striking out and drawing his fair share of walks. But through the first two months of the season, Jebb had some very worrying numbers. He batted just .200/.264/.300 with a .266 wOBA and 64 wRC+. While his lack of power wasn’t a surprise, he was striking out over a third of the time with a 26.3% K% to go with a solid, albeit unspectacular 8% walk rate.

But since the start of summer, Jebb has looked much more like the hitter many expected him to be. He has hit .292/.406/.383 with a .375 wOBA and 132 wRC+ since the start of his season turnaround. Jebb is rarely striking out now, once again, and has a K% of just 14.2%. He has also drawn walks more frequently than he’s gone down on strike three, carrying a 15.4% BB%.

Jebb is considered a double-plus runner and has used that speed to be aggressive on the basepaths this year. He is 33-for-38 in stolen base attempts. He has also used his elite speed to cover plenty of ground while fielding up the middle.

Jebb was drafted as a middle infielder and has spent most of his 2024 season at second base and shortstop. His arm is probably better suited for the right side of second base. However, the Pirates have given Jebb a few reps in center field. He is definitely fast enough to play in center. Jebb also has experience at the hot corner, giving him plenty of utility.

Jebb should finish out the season at Double-A Altoona, given how well he has hit recently. He will turn 23 in May of next year, and if he keeps hitting as well as he has been, he might have a chance to make a real impact on the team sometime during the 2025 season. His ability to rack up base hits and walks is extremely valuable, given his speed.

Jack Brannigan

The Pirates took Jack Brannigan in the third round of the 2023 draft as a two-way player. While Brannigan has not pitched as a pro, he’s definitely looked good with the bat and glove. Last year, he had a .915 OPS, .415 wOBA, and 146 wRC+ between Bradenton and Greensboro, and he’s continued to hit well this season.

Brannigan is still at Greensboro and is batting .227/.338/.464 on the season. Power is Brannigan’s strong suit, and he has a .237 isolated slugging percentage and 17 home runs this season. Brannigan is walking at a healthy 12.2% rate, but he’s cut his strikeout rate down significantly from last season. When Brannigan got promoted to Greensboro last year, he struck out about a third of the time with a 33.5% K%. This year, however, he has cut that down to 26.1%.

Brannigan has definitely ran into some bad luck. Last year, Brannigan had a .363 batting average on balls in play while posting a 25% line drive rate, 31.1% ground ball rate, and 43.9% flyball rate. This year, he has a .260 BABIP with a 23.2% line drive rate, 26.8% ground ball rate, and 50% flyball rate. Although his 2023 BABIP may have been unsustainable, .260 is also unsustainable in the other direction.

Brannigan is an above-average runner and swiped 24 bases last year. He already has a dozen stolen bases this season. He projects as a plus defensive infielder. The Pirates originally drafted him as a 3B/RHP, but he’s shown enough athleticism and defensive prowess to play the middle infield. He has spent more time at shortstop than third base this season. Brannigan was firing upper-90s fastballs as a pitcher, so he has more than enough arm strength to play on the left side of the infield.

Brannigan turns 24 next March and could make his Double-A debut before the end of the season, wielding a lot of offensive upside. His hit tool might end up on the fringe, but his power will make up for it. Brannigan is a potential 20-home run threat with good fielding at multiple infield positions. He’s a potential middle-of-the-order bat for the Bucs sometime next season.

Nick Yorke

Nick Yorke was one of the Pirates’ most notable trade deadline acquisitions. Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Quinn Priester, Yorke is a former first-round pick from the 2020 draft. At the time of the trade, Yorke was batting .278/.363/.422 with a .357 wOBA and 116 wRC+ for the Red Sox’s Double-A and Triple-A teams.

Yorke has continued his strong season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Over his first 67 plate appearances in his new organization, Yorke has a .350/.394/.450 triple-slash, .374 wOBA, and 119 wRC+. Although he is walking less frequently than he was with the Sox, posting a 6% BB% compared to 11.5% prior to the trade, he is also striking out less with a 16.4% K%.

Yorke’s numbers under the hood are also strong. He has a 91.1 MPH exit velocity and an 11-degree launch angle at Triple-A. His swing and miss rate is just 19.4%, which ranks top 50 among the 320 batters at this level with at least 200 plate appearances. Yorke’s xwOBA of .364 also paints a bright picture.

Yorke could make a significant impact on the Pirates this year if they call him up. But, regardless, he should be a potential second base Opening Day option, entering spring training with the opportunity to win the job. Nick Gonzales has shown a lot of promise this year, but Yorke has done exceptionally well at Triple-A. Yorke more than deserves a look, and given the Pirates will need to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this offseason, he will surely have a strong chance of making the team’s 2025 Opening Day roster.

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