Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Checking in on Hitters in the Arizona Fall League

First Baseman/Outfielder Jase Bowen

So far this season, Jase Bowen has been one of the best hitters for the Salt River Rafters. This comes after Bowen flashed his power during the regular season hitting 23 home runs with the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers.

Through his first 72 plate appearances in the AFL, Bowen is hitting for a .359/.423/.625 slash line. He has hit 3 home runs, 4 doubles, and two triples to go with a 6:17 BB:K ratio. Bowen has driven in 15 runs and stolen a pair of bases.

Bowen has also brought some defensive flexibility to the Rafters. He has played first base, as well as both left and right field. He has also served as the team's designated hitter to get his bat in the lineup on days he gets off from being in the field.

Looking ahead to 2024, Bowen will start the season with the Double-A Altoona Curve. Bowen struggled in them, but he did get 33 PAs with Altoona late in the season. Seeing Bowen bounce back from that with a strong showing the AFL will only raise the excitement around Bowen entering 2024.

Infielder Jack Brannigan

During the regular season, Jack Brannigan played shortstop, third base, and second base. In the AFL, he has been a shortstop for the Rafters. Despite a strong offensive minor league season in 2023, Brannigan has struggled mightily with the Rafters thus far.

Brannigan has 55 PAs in 13 games played with Salt River. Through those first 55 PAs, Brannigan has hit for just a .188/.291/.417 slash line. He has hit 2 home runs, 3 doubles, and a triple. Brannigan was walked 5 times to go with 21 strikeouts.

Despite his struggles, Brannigan remains one of the more intriguing power hitting prospects in the Pirate farm system. He played 87 games between Low-A and High-A this past season, hitting for a .275/.390/.524 slash line with a 146 wRC+, 14.2% walk rate, 29.9% strikeout rate, and an isolated slugging (ISO) of .249.

Catcher Carter Bins

Carter Bins is the lowest rated prospect of the three position player prospects the Pirates have playing in the AFL this season. Bins was acquired from the Seattle Mariners as part of the Tyler Anderson trade in July 2023, and in many ways has trended toward non-prospect status.

Bins has just 25 PAs in 6 games for the Rafters. While Bins has not had a ton of opportunities, he has taken advantage of the ones he has been given. In his 25 PAs, Bins is hitting for a .304/.360/.652 slash line. He has hit 2 home runs, 2 doubles, walked once, and struck out 8 times.

A strong showing in the AFL is something that Bins was in dire need of. Injuries limited him to just 118 minor league PAs in 2023. Those PAs came in rehab outings with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders and in the Florida Complex League, as well as 25 games played with Double-A Altoona.

In those 118 PAs Bins hit for a .212/.297/.337 slash line with a 77 wRC+, 7.6% walk rate, and a 29.7% strikeout rate. This came after he posted just a 36 wRC+ with Double-A Altoona in 2022 and a wRC+ of 86 with Triple-A Indianapolis.

With his struggles at the plate, as well as some defensive issues, any sort of long-term future with the organization for Bins is certainly up in the air. That said, a strong showing in the AFL will but him in a better spot entering the spring to potentially make the roster for Indianapolis.