Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects in the Low Minors With A Lot to Gain This Season

Bubba Chandler

2021 draft class prospects are going to be a trend you’re going to see here today. The first is Bubba Chandler. The Pirates selected Chandler in the third round, but he was considered one of the best prospects in the draft. Many had him going in the first half of the 2021 draft but fell because of a commitment to Clemson to play football.

Chandler worked to a 2.61 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP in his first extended look against professional batters. He dominated opponents, holding them to a .161 average, 0.65 HR/9, and 34.7% strikeout rate. While he limited total hits and home runs, he dished out walks at a high rate, 16.2% to be exact. However, there’s a decent chance he could improve his command, given he has the athleticism of a shortstop on the mound. Remember, even though Chandler is focusing on just pitching, he was drafted as an RHP/SS.

At just 20 years old, Chandler is already hitting the mid-90s. He also showed off a sweeping slider and an above-average curveball. His change-up has also displayed average potential, giving him a solid variety of pitches he can use. Command will be the sticking point for Chandler, but as stated earlier, he certainly has the physical makeup to improve.

Chandler getting a full season to show off his stuff could slingshot him up prospect boards more than any prospect right now in the Pirates’ system. You’re still talking about a pitcher who was considered a first-round talent, only falling to the third round because of signability. This is Chandler’s time to shine, and it’s not out of the question he starts getting top-100 prospect love if he performs well.

Anthony Solometo

If Chandler has the most to gain of any Pirate prospect this season, then Anthony Solometo isn’t too far behind. Like Chandler, Solometo was considered one of the better prospects in the draft. According to MLB Pipeline, Solometo was the second-best LHP at no. 17, just behind Jordan Wicks, who was no. 16. Overall, he was the 7th best pitcher.

Solometo made a strong first impression, working to a 2.64 ERA, 2.83 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP in 47.2 innings. The southpaw struck out 27.1% of the batters he faced, and (more impressively) didn’t allow a single home run. His 10.1% walk rate wasn’t all that great, but he located his stuff well. Solometo’s first two games of 2023 have been mixed. In his first outing, he allowed just one earned run in four innings, struck out five, and didn’t allow a walk. In his second start, Solometo allowed four earned runs with a 3:4 K:BB ratio in 3.2 innings.

Solometo is a soft-tosser, only averaging out at 89-93 MPH. He also throws a slider with cutter-like action. Both his slider and fastball sit with a well above-average spin. While his four-seamer and slider may have a high spin rate, his change-up has an extremely low spin, and he is gaining confidence with the pitch.

There are two reasons all of Solometo’s stuff plays up. The first thing is he locates his stuff with pinpoint accuracy. He hits his spots better than nearly all of the Pirates’ other prospects. He also has a wicked delivery. He has a high leg kick with an arm slot reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner. It’s a mix between Mackenzie Gore, Madison Bumgarner, and Dontrell Willis. 

Again, there’s a lot that Solometo can gain from a full campaign. Had it not been for his commitment to North Carolina, Solometo may have gone in the first half of the draft, along with Chandler. Many evaluators, specifically FanGraphs, haven’t put him in a bright light because of his lack of velocity, but he certainly has all the assets to make up for below average velo.

Tsung-Che Cheng

Tsung-Che Cheng is one of two Taiwanese prospects that will get some attention today. Cheng is a high-contact/low-power kind of prospect. Despite that kind of skillset, Cheng put up a semi-respectable ISO last season. On top of that, he consistently has a low strikeout rate and high walk rate. Now at Greensboro, Cheng has gotten off to a great start.

Last season, Cheng was a .270/.376/.418 batter with a .372 wOBA, and 129 wRC+. He had a strong 20.7% strikeout rate and 13.8% walk rate, but he was one of the Pirates’ best minor league hitters from about mid-may through the end of the season. Cheng slashed .287/.405/.444 with a .397 wOBA, and 145 wRC+. Cheng walked even more often with a 15.3% walk rate and cut his K% down to just 19.7%. During that time, he had a .157 ISO, which isn’t too shabby.

So far, Cheng has nine hits in 34 plate appearances with the Grasshoppers. Of those nine hits, three are triples, and two more are home runs. Greensboro is a hitters’ paradise, but he’s maintained a 4:6 BB:K ratio. His ability to draw walks and get on base at such a high rate makes his speed a weapon for opponents to be wary of.

Now sure, his power output so far has been nothing short of phenomenal, but it’s in a small sample size at a hitter-friendly venue. He only projects to have about 40-grade raw power, and his game power outlook isn’t going to change much until he adds more strength. But that doesn’t mean that Cheng isn’t going to ever be a worthwhile prospect.

Ji Hwan Bae is considered one of the Pirates’ better prospects. When the Bucs acquired Tucupita Marcano, he was ranked top ten in the San Diego Padre system. Both have very similar skillsets to Cheng. If he keeps performing like he has throughout the minor leagues, prospect lists aren’t going to have any other choice but to move him up the ladder. He’s only 21 and won’t turn 22 until late July. 

Owen Kellington

Here’s our third 2021 draft class prospect, and he’s not our last. He’s also the third pitcher from the 2021 class that we’ll be examining here. However, unlike Solometo and Chandler, this will be Owen Kellington’s first extended look against professional opponents. Chandler made his pro debut last season but was injured and only pitched ten innings at the Pirate FCL affiliate.

Kellington, who just turned 20 in February, was the Pirates’ 4th-round selection. He hails from an uncommon place of baseball talent, that being the state of Vermont. Kellington had some other-worldly numbers at U-32, striking out 133 batters in just 49 innings. That’s a K/9 rate of 24.4. He also only had a 0.22 ERA. Now you should always take high school numbers with a grain of salt, especially in Vermont. But there isn’t a single person who wouldn’t be impressed if you struck out over 90% of the outs made against you.

Kellington throws even slower than Solometo. The right-hander topped out at 92.1 MPH in his first game of the season. He pairs that with a well-above-average curveball. He does throw with a little deception, with FanGraphs comparing his motion to Ubaldo Jimenez. However, in his second game, he racked up nine swings and misses, which was the highest total of the day for either team. In six innings, Kellington has only allowed two earned runs, but has yet to allow a home run, and currently sits with an 8:2 K:BB ratio.

The Pirates wouldn’t have drafted Kellington and signed him to an over-slot deal if they didn’t think it was worth it. That doesn’t mean I think he’s going to skyrocket up prospect boards and become a consensus top 100 guy, but he definitely could get a top 30 spotlight in the Pirates’ system if he shows off some decent stuff.

Braylon Bishop

Can we just mention like half of the Pirates’ 2021 draft class here? Many of their high school picks are now getting the chance at full-season levels. Although Solometo and Chandler are now two decades old, Braylon Bishop is still a teenager and won’t turn 20 until the end of this month. 

2021-2022 didn’t go so well for Bishop. He registered just a .215/.340/.274 line, albeit in a small sample size of 162 plate appearances. Bishop did walk at a strong 14.8% rate but also struck out over a quarter of the time (27.2%). On top of that, he didn’t hit for much power, either. Only five of his hits went for extra bases.

Now that doesn’t mean Bishop doesn’t have power. Power is one of the better traits of his offensive profile. He generates above-average raw power from his lightning-quick swing. He’s also a fast runner with an above-average glove/arm. He certainly could be a 20/20 threat from center field, but there’s certainly a concern with his hit tool.

Strikeouts have been an issue for him already, and that was a concern when the Pirates drafted him. That gives his ceiling and floor a lot of separation. The floor is something like Keon Broxton, a former Pirates outfielder who was a good defensive and speedy outfielder who had a career .179 ISO but a 38.6% strikeout rate and 81 wRC+. The ceiling is Byron Buxton, who struck out 26.5% of the time in 2019-2022, but also had an insane .300 ISO as a fast and high-end defensive center fielder.

A good season from Bishop could get him a lot of prospect attention. It’s not gonna put him on any top 100 lists, but will certainly start getting him more recognition on radars. Bishop definitely has the potential to become an interesting prospect. Even if he only becomes a 4th outfielder, his dynamic skillset certainly would be a welcomed addition off the bench.

Po-Yu Chen

The second Taiwanese player we’ll look at today is Po-Yu Chen. Signed in 2020-2021, Chen was considered one of the top high school prospects in Taiwan. He reeled off 26 walkless innings allowing just one earned run in his first look against professional batters back in 2021. While he wasn’t nearly as dominant the following season at Bradenton, he still put up solid numbers there.

Chen worked to a 4.58 ERA but 3.76 FIP and 1.26 WHIP. Chen’s ERA was a tad high, but his FIP shows that he was better than his surface numbers suggest. Chen had a 3.81 xFIP also suggests that his FIP is an accurate reflection of his ability to control the three-true outcomes. Chen struck out 24.4% of his opponents with a solid 8.6% walk rate. He also had an above-average 0.86 HR/9.

Like Kellington and Solometo, Chen is not a hard-throwing pitcher. He’s only hitting 90-93 MPH, but his slider and curveball are average offerings. His best pitch is his splitter, which is a well-above-average pitch. Again, similar to Anthony, Chen’s stuff plays up because of his ability to hit his spots. He has outstanding command, which should help him in the long run.

There is some hope he can add another tick of velocity before he reaches the major leagues. He’s only 21 and stands at 6’2”, 187 pounds. That extra tick of velocity may happen this year at Greensboro. Not only could some added velocity help Chen rise prospect rankings, but he also needs to conquer Greensboro. If he does that, you might be seeing one of the Pirates’ better pitching prospects.