Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Depth Chart: Starting Pitching

Young Arms Who Are Still Developing

Joaquin Tejada is one of the more interesting players in the Pirate system. Acquired at the 2021 trade deadline in the Tyler Anderson trade, Tejada was considered one of Seattle's better international prospects. He hasn’t pitched much professionally but has flashed decent potential. He typically works in the low-90s, but there is room for him to add some velocity. His real weapon is his curveball, which comes in with about 2900 RPM of spin. He also throws a slider and splitter. He’s still only 19 years old and won’t turn 20 until mid-July.

Michael Kennedy was the Pirates’ big over-slot signing from the 2022 draft. Picked in the fourth round with the 110th overall pick, Kennedy was considered a top-100 talent in this year’s draft. The southpaw throws a fastball, slider, and changeup, all of which project to be average or better. Although he doesn’t throw very hard right now, he is one of the Pirates’ youngest pitching prospects. He just turned 18 on November 30th.

Owen Kellington was one of the many over-slot picks from the Pirates’ 2021 draft class. The right-hander was injured for a good portion of 2022, as he was limited to just ten innings. Kellington throws a fastball and curveball, the ladder of which projects to be well above average. At just 19-years-old (turns 20 in February), there’s definitely some room for him to add some velocity.

Of course, there are plenty of other under-20 prospects who are unranked by most outlets, at least right now. This includes the likes of Pitterson Rosa, Andres Silvera, Isiah Uribe, and Wilber Dotel.