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

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.