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

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.