Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects 2023 Recap: Connor Scott Continues to Flounder at Double-A

A former top-15 draft pick, outfielder Connor Scott has struggled since joining the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in the Jacob Stallings trade

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded catcher Jacob Stallings to the Miami Marlins following the 2021 season, the big piece the team received in exchange for the Gold Glove winner was outfielder Connor Scott. The 13th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Scott was coming off a strong season at the High-A level and was one of Miami's top position player prospects.

Well, unfortunately for he and the Pirates, since the trade has occurred Scott has struggled in the Pirate organization. He spent the entire 2022 season with the Double-A Altoona curve, sturggling to the tune of a .247/.308/.389 slash line with a 90 wRC+ and a 21.7% strikeout rate.

After struggling with the Curve in 2022, Scott started the 2023 season back in Altoona. The left-handed hitting outfielder once again spent the entire season with Altoona, and his results at the plate took a step backward.

Scott missed nearly a month of action due to injury, finishing the season with 289 plate appearances in 74 games played with Altoona last season. In these 289 PAs, Scott hit for a porous .196/.263/.315 slash line with a 58 wRC+. He walked in 8.7% of his trips to the plate, struck out at a 22.5% clip, and posted an isolated slugging (ISO) of just .119.

This past season Scott hit just 3 home runs while collecting 21 extra base hits. If you do not include what he did at rookie ball and Low-A after being drafted in 2018, all of these were career lows for Scott.

Being a 24-year-old prospect who has spent back-to-back full season at Double-A is a concern. The concern grows when that hitter has had below average results in both of those seasons. Those concerns grow even further when they took a big step backward in the second of those two seasons.

Looking ahead to 2024, it should be the third consecutive season in which Scott starts at Double-A. If his struggles continue, he will not just continue to slide down Pirate prospect boards but his career and future with the Pirate organization could be in doubt.

If Scott can not improve, maybe substantially, this season, he could be on his way to being released by the organization.