Pittsburgh Pirates: One Underrated Prospect At Each Position

Catcher - Miguel Sosa

Which Pirates' minor league batter has the highest wRC+ in at least 200 plate appearances in 2022-2023? It's not Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez, Nick Gonzales, or Termarr Johnson. It's Miguel Sosa. Sosa has been the Pirates' best minor league hitter for the last two seasons. Now, do keep in mind that he has yet to play a full season, as he's spent the previous two years in the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League. But Sosa certainly isn't the first name you think of when you see the Pirates' best minor league hitters.

Last season, Sosa batted .275/.406/.406 with a .459 wOBA, and 154 wRC+. While he had a solid 22.3% strikeout rate, he also drew walks in 29.1% of his plate appearances. Sosa did not hit for much power and only had two home runs in his 103 plate appearances. However, he had an isolated slugging percentage above .200 last year at the DSL.

This is the second year in a row Sosa has drawn walks in more than 20% of his plate appearances. Granted, in neither season did he even surpass 110 plate appearances, but Sosa has drawn 55 walks over his last 212 plate appearances. Of the 133 batters who had enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, 72 MLB players drew fewer walks than Sosa has the last two seasons. The fewest number of qualifying plate appearances came from Lars Nootbaar with 503.

Sosa was signed for his bat, and with a 160 wRC+, he's thus far delivered on that part of his game. But his defense behind the dish may mean he moves to another position in the long run. He has a decent arm, so a corner outfield spot is an option. He's almost split his time evenly between catcher and LF/RF.

Where he ends up, long-term, has yet to be seen, but a guy who has drawn 20 more walks than strikeouts over the last two years is definitely one to keep your eyes on. Yes, it is only the FCL/DSL, but his walk rate in the last two years is the second-best in minor league baseball (min. 200 PA).