Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Stock Watch: LHP Jackson Wolf

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Jackson Wolf was one of the players the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired at the trade deadline. What does he bring to the Bucs, and what could he do in the future?

One of the multiple prospects the Pittsburgh Pirates netted at the trade deadline was Jackson Wolf. Wolf was acquired alongside Alfonso Rivas and Estuar Suero from the San Diego Padres for Ji-Man Choi and Rich Hill. So now that Wolf has finished off his 2023 season with the Pirates, what does the side-arm southpaw bring to the organization, and what could he give the Pirates in the future?

Wolf was the Padres’ 4th round pick from the 2021 draft. A senior out of West Virginia University, Wolf was acquired in the midst of a breakout season at the Padres’ Double-A affiliate. In 88.1 innings, Wolf owned a 4.08 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP. Wolf had struck out nearly 30% of the batters he faced (29.8%), while having a 6.3% walk rate. But he did have a below-average 1.22 HR/9. Wolf’s HR/FB ratio of 12.8% was a tad high, however, and just a slight downtick would probably put him at the average rate in the Texas League.

Wolf had an up and down second half stretch with the Pirates. In his first four outings and 18 innings pitched, he only allowed five earned runs, struck out 19, while walking six, and allowing a single home run. But his final four outings amounted to the same amount of innings but allowed a dozen home runs, struck out 11 with four walks, and four home runs. Of course, looking at two sample sizes of less than 20 innings isn’t going to tell you much, but he did have a volatile first few outings as a member of the Pirates.

Even though Wolf has yet to pitch a game at Triple-A, the Padres already got him his major league debut in. He pitched one game on July 22nd against the Detroit Tigers in Comerica. He pitched five innings, allowed three earned runs, and only struck out one batter. But he also walked just one of the 22 he faced.

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Wolf is a soft-tossing lefty. In his lone MLB game, Wolf’s hardest-thrown pitch was 90.8 MPH. He typically sits 88-90 MPH, but his fastball plays above its metrics. Wolf has a sidearm motion that can throw batters off. He also can throw his four-seamer with sinking action, which was a trait that he showed off in his MLB debut.

His four-seam fastball is far from the only pitch in his repertoire. His best breaking pitch is his slider, a pitch with sweeping action (but not considered a sweeper). He also throws a curveball, which has enough distinctive qualities to make it a second offering. Both of his breaking pitches are considered to have above average potential.

Wolf has attempted to improve his change-up, his one off-speed offering. While it has the potential to be an average offering, most pin it as a fourth, get-me-over kind of pitch. Wolf used this pitch solely against right-handed batters in his debut, so maybe he feels most comfortable when using it against opposite-handed opponents.

Future Outlook

Jackson Wolf projects as a mid-to-back of the rotation arm Because he is a soft-tosser with no real overpowering stuff, his ceiling is not too high. However, Wolf was effective in 2023 at Double-A, proving he could potentially be a solid major league pitcher. But in the event he can’t make it as a starting pitcher, he could be a quality left-handed multi-inning arm out of the bullpen.

But the Pirates will give Wolf every chance possible to be a starting pitcher until he either proves he isn’t capable of being a major league starter, or if another player pushes him out. Wolf is already on the 40-man roster, and given that he turns 25 in late-April, I think it’s possible he makes a push for an Opening Day rotation spot. Even if the Pirates sign two starters (which I think they are required to do), they’ll still have a fifth rotation spot to fill.

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Jackson Wolf was one of the players the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired at the trade deadline. What does he bring to the Bucs, and what could he do in the future?

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