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

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