Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Four in Baseball America Top 100

Baseball America released their latest prospect rankings on Wednesday, with four Pittsburgh Pirates prospects landing in the top 100

Wednesday was a big day in the world of baseball prospects. Baseball America released its updated top 100 prospects list. Four Pittsburgh Pirates prospects found themselves among Baseball American's new top 100.

The highest rated Pirate prospect in Baseball America's new top 100 is catcher Endy Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who has developed into one of the top catching prospects in baseball, finds himself at no. 23. Rodriguez is a quality defender with a well above average bat behind the dish. He is well on his way to solidfying himself as a MLB regular in 2023.

Coming in next on the list was middle infielder Termarr Johnson. Baseball America ranks Johnson as the 49th best prospect in all of baseball. There's an argument to be made that Johnson was the best pure hitter in last year's draft. He showed these hitting skills by posting a .846 OPS in 53 plate appearances in 14 games with Low-A Bradenton late last season. Look for Johnson to really explode onto the scene in 2023.

Joining Rodriguez in the top 100 as a Pirate catching prospect is the no. 1 overall pick the 2021 MLB Draft - Henry Davis. Davis sits at no. 73 overall, and would likely be even higher if it were not for injuries shortening his 2022 season. It would not be a surprise to see Rodriguez and Davis be the team's catching duo by the end of the 2023 season.

One spot behind Davis at no. 74 is right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz. Following a big rise through the Pirate minor league system Ortiz made his MLB with the Pittsburgh Pirates last September. Ortiz was extremely impressive outside of his final start of the season, showing off a fastball that sat in the high-90s and touched triple-digits to go with a slider with great bite. It would not be a surprise to see Ortiz be one of the best rookie pitchers in the National League in 2023.

It was a bit of a surprise to see neither Quinn Priester nor Mike Burrows in Baseball America's top 100. That said, both should still be viewed as highly touted pitching prospects. Both fall in the top 100 by some publications and both could go on to carve out big roles in the Pirate starting rotationg during the 2023 season.

Infielders Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero are two other prospects that find themselves on other top 100 lists but were left off of Baseball America's list. Gonzales battled injuries and the swing-and-miss in 2022 while Peguero took a huge step backward offensively. So, seeing the two omitted off the list did not come as a surprise.