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

The Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates have some talented rosters, but who is the best player on each roster?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a ton of talented prospects at each level of the minor leagues. From rookie-ball up to Triple-A, each affiliate has at least one highly gifted player who could end up being a vital part of the future Pirates. With such a deep system, plenty of talented players are bound to be stationed at one level, but who is the best at each minor league affiliate?

That’s what I want to look at today and see what the best prospect projected to open the year on each minor league affiliate’s roster. The Pirates have four full-season minor league affiliates, including the Bradenton Marauders, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Altoona Curve, and Indianapolis Indians. The only affiliates we will not be taking a look at today are the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League or Florida Complex League affiliates.

Low-A Bradenton - Middle Infielder Termarr Johnson

The Pirates drafted Termarr Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft. Completely unbiased; I think Johnson was the best player in the draft. He fell to #4 because he projects as a second baseman rather than a shortstop. While shortstop is considered a more premium position than second base, that doesn’t take away from Johnson’s overall talent.

Johnson has arguably the best plate discipline and coverage in the entire system. MLB Pipeline drew comparisons to Vlad Guerrero Sr. and Wade Boggs for his ability to make contact and draw walks. But Johnson isn’t just an all-hit/no-power kind of prospect. He still projects as an above-average power hitter with the potential to average out around 20-25 home runs a season.

As a defender, he makes the easy plays at shortstop and has average range, but there were questions about if his reflexes and arm could play there long term. At the very worst, the Pirates move him to second base, where he can be an above-average defender at the keystone. He’s plenty fast enough that he could steal 15 bases a season and cover enough ground up the middle.

Johnson made his pro debut last season but only stepped to the plate a total of 82 times. He looked decent at Bradenton, collecting eleven hits with five extra-base hits (four doubles, one home run) and ten walks in just 53 plate appearances. While he looked good at Bradenton, he’ll likely start the 2023 season there. But look for him to make the jump to Greensboro when the weather starts heating up in June.

Honorable Mention: Thomas Harrington

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

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