Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Five Intriguing Players in the FCL & DSL

Both the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League started this past Monday. So, who are some interesting Pittsburgh Pirates prospects to keep tabs on this year?

Both the Dominican Summer League as well as the Florida Complex League will be underway on Monday. These are the levels before reaching full-season A-Ball, which is Bradenton for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The DSL is the first level many young prospects start at, with the FCL following thereafter. The Pittsburgh Pirates certainly have their share of top prospects, and other interesting minor leaguers that will start their 2023 campaign at one of these levels.

With their seasons about to kick off, I thought it would be a good idea to see what these rosters house, and who is worth pointing out, whether that be because they are a top prospect, could eventually become a top prospect, or is an interesting name to watch.

Samuel Escudero

There’s going to be a lot of attention toward catching prospect Axiel Plaz. However, the other catching prospect that deserves some attention who is also at the Dominican Summer League is Samuel Escudero. The Pirates acquired Escuerdo in 2021 in what is a very forgotten trade, as the Bucs only sent Troy Stokes Jr. and Jandel Gustave to the Milwaukee Brewers for the young backstop.

In just his age-18 season, Escudero batted .284/.419/.351 through 94 plate appearances. This will be his third go-around at the DSL, as he also played there in 2021 and 2022. Escudero walked more often than he struck out, drawing 16 base on balls, and only going down on strike three 14 times. 

The only major downside to his brief season was his power, as Escudero didn’t hit a single home run. His isolated slugging percentage also clocked in below .100 at .068. On the plus side, he did rack up five doubles while going four-for-five in stolen base attempts. Overall, Escudero ended the 2022 season with a .397 wOBA, and 123 wRC+.

There’s not much else to say on Escudero. He’s still extremely young as this is only his age-19 campaign. MILB.com, nor FanGraphs or Baseball Reference even list a height or weight for Escudero. However, given how well he performed last year, he’s a prospect you want to at least keep tabs on.

Jun-Seok Shim

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed what many considered to be the best amateur international pitcher from last year’s market. That’s Korean right-hander Jun-Seok Shim. Shim is a tad older than most amateur international signees as he is in his age-19 campaign. Shim had the option to enter the KBO draft, however instead chose to head stateside in order to get an opportunity in Major League Baseball. The Bucs inked Shim to a $750,000 signing bonus.

There’s a lot to like about Shim. First off, how many teenagers do you know that can hit triple-digits? Shim has a big fastball that typically comes in around 94-97 MPH, but when he needs to, he can bring that up to 100 MPH. Not only can he throw hard, but he does so with spin, as the pitch can ride through the zone. His curveball has the characteristics of a 12-6 pitch, and he also mixes in a slider and changeup. All of his offerings have the potential to at least be average pitches.

Shim has a lot of qualities that could help him develop fast. Many like his mechanics, as he has a clean and relatively low-effort motion for a guy that can fling a baseball at 100 MPH. He also has good athleticism on the mound, which is another trait that will likely help him in the long run. Shim weighs in at 6’4”, 215 pounds, giving him a strong build.

There are questions about his command, but given both his age and make-up, it’s not a major concern as of right now. Shim will make his professional debut at the DSL, but could appear in the FCL later on this year. Shim definitely has the potential to become a top 100 prospect by the end of his first season at a full-season level.

Raymond Mola

Jun-Seok Shim wasn’t the only top international prospect the Pirates signed this past off-season. Along with Shim, the Pirates also grabbed Dominican outfielder Raymond Mola. Mola is younger than Shim, as he’ll make his pro debut at just age-17. He is an overall well rounded outfield prospect.

Mola received 50 grades for each of his five tools by MLB Pipeline. There’s no tool here that stands out above the rest, however. But of all his tools, the one that could develop into a plus ability is his power. Mola is 6’2”, 190 pounds at just age-17, so he’s likely not done adding muscle to his frame.

He’ll likely start his pro career out in center field, but could settle into an outfield corner within the near future. He’s a solid runner as of right now, but could slow down once he starts filling out. Mola has also shown to be a decent defensive outfielder with a strong enough arm to play at all three outfield positions.

One thing that could help Mola develop is his advanced approach to the plate. His hit tool may never be on the level of Luis Arraez, but definitely could be a 50-55 weapon once everything is said and done. Given his power potential, Mola could be a high-impact bat in the future.

Mola signed for $600,000 and will start the year out with fellow international signee Shim at the Dominican Summer League. His development going forward will be interesting. He could be a five-tool outfielder, but in more of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none package where everything plays to an average to above average level, but nothing stands out as elite. However, I’m sure no one would complain about an outfielder who bats .260 with 20-25 home runs, and decent defense in LF/RF.

Hung-Leng Chang

Here’s our first Florida Complex League prospect, that being Taiwanese right-hander Hung-Leng Chang. The Pirates signed Chang in the 2021-2022 off-season as one of their higher paid international signees. Chang signed $500,000, making him the fourth highest paid player of the Pirates’ international class.

Chang made his pro debut last season at the Pirate FCL affiliate last season, so this will be his second stint. He pitched to a 4.76 ERA, but strong 2.50 FIP and 1.32 WHIP across 22.2 innings. Chang had a quality 27.8% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate, and didn’t allow a single home run. He also had a 48.3% ground ball rate. Chang had a .355 batting average on balls in play, so his ERA was inflated in a small sample size.

The Taiwaneese righty is currently listed at a wire-thin 6’3”, 160 pounds. But he has an advanced approach to the mound. Chang tops out at 94 MPH with his fastball and works in four other offerings. With such a thin frame, there’s definitely room for added velocity. He’ll likely never be Aroldis Chapman 2.0, but you could definitely see a guy who sits 90-93 MPH and tops out at 95-96.

Of all the prospects we’ll look at today, Chang has the best chance of making it to Bradenton this year. It’s a bit of a surprise the Pirates didn’t start Chang at A-Ball to start the year. He is in his age-21 season, making him just a couple of months younger than Thomas Harrington, Bradenton’s best pitcher so far this year and one of the Bucs’ top pitching prospects. Either way, it will be interesting to see what Chang can do this year and at Bradenton.