Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Checking in on Two Teenagers Acquired at Trade Deadline

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Checking in on the two teenage prospects acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline

Prior to the August 1st trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates swung four trades that impacted their Major League roster. The four players who were on, or had spent time on the MLB roster this season were Carlos Santana, Ji Man Choi, Rich Hill, Austin Hedges, and Rodolfo Castro.

In return for these four players the Pirates received a variety of players in return. They targeted MLB ready starting pitching in Bailey Falter and Jackson Wolf, as well as Alfonso Rivas to replace Santana and Choi at first base.

There were also pieces acquired that were directed toward the future. They received international free agent pool money from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Hedges. The Pirates also received two intriguing teenage prospects, one from Milwaukee Brewers and one from the San Diego Padres.

These two teenage prospects are infielder Jhonny Severino, who was acquired from Milwaukee, and outfielder Estuar Suero, who came from San Diego. Both have been playing for the FCL Pirates since joining the organization. How have they performed thus far? Let's take a look at that today.

Infielder Jhonny Severino

Prior to joining the Pirate organization, Severino was playing in the Arizona Complex League with the Brewers. Between the ACL and FCL, Severino has hit for a .259/.302/.586 slash line with a 103 wRC+, .328 isolated slugging (ISO), 3.2% walk rate, and a 17.5% strikeout rate.

Since joining the Pirates, Severino has been even better. With the FCL Pirates he his hitting for a .300/.364/.600 slash line with a 140 wRC+. He's hit a home run, has an ISO of .300, and has both a 9.1% walk and strikeout rate.

Severino has only played third base since coming to the Pirates but has also played shortstop in his professional career. FanGraphs gives Severino a 45 grade raw power tool and 50 grade speed tool while giving him an overall future value of 40.

The 18-year-old right-handed hitting Severino is a prospect who could climb prospect rankings this offseason. Especially if continues to hit and play the way he has since joining the FCL Pirates. Severino has quickly become one of the more intriguing prospects in the Pirate farm system.

Outfielder Estuar Suero

Just 17-years-old, the switch-hitting Suero may have the higher ceiling of the two players. He already ranks as the 15th best prospect in the Pirate farm system per FanGraphs. Keep in mind, FanGraphs ranks the Pirate farm system as the best in baseball so being a top 15 organizational prospect according to FanGraphs is not easy to accomplish.

FanGraphs gives Suero a 40 grade fielding tool, 45 grade raw power tool, and a 60 grade speed tool. Suero checks in with a future value of 40+, putting him on a tier above Severino in FanGraphs prospect rankings.

Suero has been a regular in the FCL Pirate lineup since being acquired. He has hit for a .227/.370/.318 slash line with a 94 wRC+. Suero has yet to flash much power with an .094 ISO and just one extra base hit (a triple), but his 18.5% walk rate is well above average and it goes with a 22.2% strikeout rate.

As the FCL season winds down, Suero is a prospect Pirate fans will want to keep an eye on. It would not be a surprise to see Suero rise to become a top 10 prospect in the Pirate farm system in the coming years. Acquiring him for a pair of veteran rentals could prove to be a real steal by Ben Cherington.

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