Pittsburgh Pirates: Five College Outfield Prospects to Watch

The Pittsburgh Pirates need outfielders in their system, and while they'll likely add the most hyped outfield prospect in over a decade, they should still put these five college outfielders on their radar.

The Pittsburgh Pirates would likely benefit from focusing on college outfielders in this year's draft. The Pirates should take one of the best prospects the draft has ever seen first overall in Dylan Crews, who is an outfielder for Louisiana State University. The Pirates might not only break their franchise signing bonus record by drafting Crews, which they set in 2011 when they gave Gerrit Cole $8 million (which at the time was a record-setting amount) but the Detroit Tigers and Spencer Torkelson currently hold the all-time record amount for $8,146,300.

Either way, when you take a look at the system, you can see why the outfield is a potential need. Any high-ceiling outfield prospect is at Low-A Bradenton, the Florida Complex League, or the Dominican Summer League. The former two are essentially in rookie ball. Guys like Lonnie White Jr., Tony Blanco Jr., Shalin Polanco, and Braylon Bishop have talent through the roof but are still years away from even being close to the big leagues.

Because of that, the Pirates should put a focus on college outfielders, even if they're taking one of the most talented college outfielders ever. So who are some players for the Bucs to put on their radar?

Colton Ledbetter

Colton Ledbetter is ranked as a top 50 draft prospect by most sources. Ledbetter lit up pitchers while at Samford, which is in the Southern Conference, walking more often than striking out and hitting for a lot of power. Ledbetter decided to take his talents to Mississippi State. Facing SEC pitching would be the test for Ledbetter, which he's passed with flying colors.

Ledbetter has hit .320/.452/.574 with a dozen dingers. The move to a more competitive conference hasn't affected Ledbetter's ability to draw walks and avoid strikeouts. After walking at a healthy 12.1% rate last season, he now has a walk rate clocking in at 19%. His strikeout rate has gone up a tad from 11.2% to 14.5%, however, that's still a strong number, and walking more than striking out is always good in any context.

Ledbetter is highly praised for his swing decisions. According to Baseball America, he has a chase rate of just 16% as well as an 84% contact rate. Ledbetter didn't have as good of exit velocity numbers after making the move to the SEC and has used his pull side to hit most of his home runs for Mississippi State.

Ledbetter may stay in center field long term. He's gotten good reviews for his athleticism and has displayed solid run times. He's not a super-fast runner, but he has good instincts on the base paths and knows when he can steal a base. He went 17-for-18 this year in stolen base attempts. The only real knock on Ledbetter is that his arm is on the fringy side, so he may also move to left field.

Ledbetter is projected to go in the early-to-middle second round. A well-rounded player, Ledbetter has a strong hit tool, average to above-average power, and decent defensive prowess. He'd definitely be on my radar in the second round, where the Pirates have the 42nd pick.

Ryan Lasko

Ryan Lasko has spent all three years of his college career with Rutgers in the Big Ten conference. Lasko has consistently shown strong defense and above-average speed throughout his college career and now looks to enter the pro scene in this year's draft.

Lasko batted .330/.428/.582 with a quality 13.3% walk rate and strike out rate of just 12.2%. Power hasn't been Lasko's calling card, but he's still swatted 11 home runs with an isolated slugging percentage of .252. However, most of that is fueled by doubles, as he's hustled out 18 two-baggers. Lasko has also used his ability to reach base at a high rate to its fullest advantage, swiping 18 bases in 20 attempts.

Lasko definitely projects as a center fielder. While not blazing fast, he's an above-average runner who routinely runs efficient routes. He doesn't have a weakness in any direction or angle when a ball is hit in his direction. He also can uncork strong throws with his plus arm. Overall, you're looking at a well above-average center field defender here.

Now Lasko isn't entirely risk-free. There's the possibility he becomes a fourth outfield type. His time spent at the Cape Cod League and with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team left more questions than answers, particularly about his pitch recognition. According to MLB Pipeline, it wasn't velocity that overpowered Lasko but rather spin.

Still, Lasko has walked more often than he's struck out. He's shown off a good feel for the strike zone and consistently put together promising plate appearances. However, he might end up needing a change in swing for him to reach his full potential with the bat.

Spencer Nivens

If you read my Pirates mock draft 2.0 article, then Spencer Nivens might sound familiar. Nivens attends Missouri State, where he's pieced together his best season yet. Nivens is generally ranked around the 110-90 range among most prospect rankings and is likely to go sometime between the third round and the fifth round, according to Future Star Series, which Joe Doyle writes.

In Nivens' junior campaign, the outfielder slashed .341/.437/.650 throughout 270 plate appearances. Nivens reached career highs in both doubles (16) and home runs (14) while managing an isolated slugging percentage just north of .300 at .309. Nivens also carried a healthy 16.3% K-rate and 12.6% walk rate.

Nivens' best tool is his hit tool. He had a contact rate of 92% and had no problems catching up to pitchers with average or better fastball velocity. Nivens is only 5'11", 185 pounds, and raw power isn't his specialty. However, he did generate solid enough exit velocities to where his ability to drive the ball with authority shouldn't be a massive worry. He also runs well, projecting as an overall above-average runner.

Nivens has displayed a solid ability to man center field. He's not projected to be a consistent Gold Glove finalist, but he plays the position to an average degree. However, his arm is certainly on the weaker side of things and is likely his worst tool. Nivens did play a handful of games at first base in 2022, so he could potentially be an option there as well.

Travis Honeyman

Travis Honeyman is an outfielder out of Boston College. While a shoulder injury partially hampered his season, Honeyman turned in strong results in his third season. But his high-contact/average-power profile could make for an interesting player come draft day.

Honeyman is batting .304/.383/.534 throughout 183 plate appearances. Although he's only 6'2", 190 pounds, Honeyman has started to tap into his raw power and launched six dingers. He also had an isolated slugging percentage of .230. Honeyman's in-game power has been trending in the right direction, but his ability to avoid strikeouts and make contact is his biggest strength.

Honeyman has only gone down on strike three in 11.5% of his plate appearances. In 2022, he struck out less than 10% of the time (8.7%). He's an aggressive hitter who puts a heavy emphasis on making contact, which comes at the cost of his walk rate. Honeyman's 7.1% walk rate is an improvement from 2022, though it is still low, all things considered. Though he does have some problems with the high heat, given his swing.

While he isn't the fastest player in the draft, Honeyman is an above-average runner. He was able to swipe ten bases in 11 attempts and has a chance to be a center fielder. Honeyman spent the 2023 season in right field, where his glove plays better. According to Baseball America, his route running was on the inefficient side, which could be the difference between him becoming a center fielder or sticking in an outfield corner.

One thing that will likely grab the attention of the Pirates is his performance in the Cape Cod League. Honeyman batted .289/.400/.530 with four home runs, eight walks, and 18 strikeouts in 100 plate appearances. Notably, Honeyman played all but one game on center field in the Cape.

Honeyman's blend of a hit tool with average to slightly above average raw power makes him a potential outfield draft prospect to keep an eye on come draft time. The right-handed batter has the potential to be a .280 batter who cranks out 15 home runs on a near-annual basis. His fielding and work at the plate still needs some polish, but the tools and ability are there.