Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect: Best Projected Player at Each Level in 2023

High-A Greensboro - LHP Anthony Solometo

It was a very close race between Anthony Solometo and Bubba Chandler here. However, I ultimately decided to go with Solometo, given he has a better chance of starting at Greensboro than Chandler, based on how much they pitched for Bradenton last season. Solometo was the Pirates’ second-round selection in 2021. The southpaw was considered a top-20 talent in the draft but fell because of his college commitment.

Solometo pitched a total of 47.1 innings for the Marauders, working to a 2.64 ERA, 2.83 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP. The southpaw struck out over a quarter of the batters he faced with a 27.1% strikeout rate while not allowing a single home run. Solometo’s ground ball rate peaked at just over 50% at 50.9%. His 10.1% walk rate might not be great, but it doesn’t reflect how good he is at locating.

Solometo is the Pirates’ best pitcher when it comes to command. He was also considered the second-best command pitcher in the 2021 draft. Solometo typically works in the 88-91 MPH range with a slider, slurve, and changeup. His offerings project from average to well above average, given his command, but he can easily throw opponents off. He has a wind-up, delivery, and arm slot that is reminiscent of Washington Nationals’ top prospect Mackenzie Gore and former San Francisco Giant ace Madison Bumgarner. Personally, I see some Dontrell Willis because of his leg kick.

Solometo is entering just his age-20 campaign. However, there’s a decent chance he at least makes his Double-A debut next season. He might not play a ton of games at Altoona, but if he’s healthy and continues to pitch well, there’s no reason he shouldn’t at least see Altoona for a start or two.

Honorable Mentions: Bubba Chandler

Double-A Altoona - Catcher Henry Davis

Henry Davis has had somewhat of an odd professional career so far. When he’s been healthy, he’s been a great batter. But health hasn’t been on his side, though that’s no fault of his own. While Davis did see time at Altoona last season, it was a small sample size where he didn’t do fantastic, which is why I am currently projecting him to at least start the year for the Double-A affiliate.

In the 255 plate appearances spread across Bradenton, Greensboro, and Altoona, Davis batted .264/.380/.472 with a .385 wOBA and 136 wRC+. He hit for his fair share of power with a .208 isolated slugging percentage to go with a healthy 8.2% walk rate/20% strikeout rate. But why was Davis only limited to 255 plate appearances, and why are his injuries not his fault?

Well, Davis also was hit by an astounding 20 pitches. Last season, only 18 minor leaguers were hit by 20+ pitches. Davis was the only one of those 18 to be hit by 20+ balls and have fewer than 375 trips to the dish. Some of those HBPs caused Davis to miss some time in 2022. Only one major league player since post-integration (1947) has had fewer than 300 plate appearances and has been hit 20 or more times.

When Davis is healthy, he’s a guy who could hit .280/.350/.600 with the potential to hit 40 home runs. Davis is a very powerful catcher with a very high offensive ceiling, arguably the highest among the Pirates’ prospects. However, his defense behind the dish leaves much to be desired. He has a powerful arm but has struggled with blocking and framing. He’s already let up nine passed balls in just 370 innings behind the plate. The Pirates did put Davis in right field for two games, but his days as a catcher are far from over.

With 2023 marking his age-23 season, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Davis at least makes his major league debut sometime next year. Had it not been for injuries caused by the number of times he was hit, he might start the year off at Triple-A. But given he posted mediocre numbers at Altoona, he might start the year there and end up at Indy by the end of the month.

Honorable Mention: Jared Jones

Triple-A - Catcher Endy Rodriguez

Acquired in the 2020-2021 offseason, Endy Rodriguez was part of the Joe Musgrove deal. Since the Pirates acquired Rodriguez, he’s pieced together two terrific seasons, going from Bradenton in 2021 all the way to making his Triple-A debut last season. Now, he enters the 2023 season as one of baseball’s premier prospects and will look to make an impact sometime in ‘23.

Last season, Rodriguez collected a total of 531 plate appearances across three levels of the minor leagues. In total, he slashed .323/.407/.590 with a .434 wOBA, and 166 wRC+. This follows a season in which he posted a .892 OPS, .410 wOBA, and 140 wRC+ at Low-A in 2021. With an 11.3% walk rate and 19% strikeout rate this past season, it marks the fourth year in a row the switch-hitting backstop has struck out in less than 20% of his plate appearances and has drawn a walk in at least 10% of his trips to the dish.

A 166 wRC+ is insanely good. But his season numbers, despite how good they were, under-appreciate his season as a whole. After a poor April, Rodriguez immediately got things back on track, posting a 1.061 OPS, .458 wOBA, and 182 wRC+ for the rest of the season. Rodriguez went on a Barry Bonds-like tear in the second half with a 221 wRC+ and wOBA well above .500 at .516.

Rodriguez has an elite hit tool, and his power has gotten better each and every year. His .266 isolated slugging percentage was a career-best. He doesn’t project to be a massive power threat, but a 15-18 home run catcher who provides 35+ doubles is more than enough power to suffice. As a catcher, his defense is more than passable and projects as slightly above average. He might not win any Gold Gloves, but he does not cost the team runs.

Rodriguez is now a consensus top 100 prospect, and FanGraphs goes so far as to rank him as their 33rd-best prospect. Rodriguez should be ready for promotion very soon. While the Pittsburgh Pirates might not start him in the major leagues, look for him to be on the docket for a Major League promotion by the time May rolls around.

Honorable Mentions: Quinn Priester and Nick Gonzales