Pittsburgh Pirates: One Breakout Prospect to Watch at Each Position

The Pirates could see these prospects breakout in 2024.
Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates
Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates / Rick Stewart/GettyImages
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Shortstop - Yordany De Los Santos

The third and final player of the Pirates' 2021-2022 international class, Yordany De Los Santos was arguably the best prospect from this group. De Los Santos had a promising 2022 season at the Pirates' Dominican Summer League. He then started 2023 at the Florida Complex League, where he batted .328/.397/.464 with a 126 wRC+, seven walks, and 11 strikeouts through 78 plate appearances.

His great start at the FCL earned him a promotion to Bradenton, but he wasn't able to continue to play at that level. He saw 153 plate appearances while batting .183/.322/.256. His wOBA was below .300 at .299 while having a wRC+ of just 72. De Los Santos struck out far more often at 39.2% of the time, but on the plus side, he did walk in 14.4% of his PAs.

De Los Santos has shown plus raw power. His exit velocity numbers have looked good. But he's had some strikeout concerns. De Los Santos has had some issues lifting the ball as well. Although he's not a plus runner, he has been aggressive on the basepaths. He's attempted 43 stolen bases, being successful 37 times in 114 career games. De Los Santos has split his time at shortstop and third base. He has the arm strength to play on the left side of the infield, but the hot corner could be his long-term home.

De Los Santos turns 19 later this month, and he should open the year at Bradenton. De Los Santos has yet to play a full season, but he's definitely one of the Pirates' best infield prospects. He needs to cut down on strikeouts, but he has all of 2024 to do so. If he can show some improvement in that department and lift the ball more frequently, he could start to show off some of the raw power in action.