Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Minor League Season Predictions

Top Performing Pitching Prospect
Anthony Solometo

The Pirates selected Henry Davis in preparation to sign some of their young players later in the draft. One of those players is southpaw Anthony Solometo. Solometo was their second round pick who signed for nearly $3 million ($2,797,500). Solometo couldn’t have asked for a better professional debut last season. 

He only pitched 47.2 innings, but the lefty had a 2.64 ERA, 2.83 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP. He struck out 27.1% of the batters he faced while not allowing a single home run. Solometo’s ground ball rate over 50% (50.9%) helped keep the ball in the park. The only slight blemish was his 10.1% walk rate, but given his ability to command his stuff, he could certainly cut that down significantly in the coming years.

Solometo isn’t about velocity, only hitting the low-90s. However, his slider/slurve is excellent and he also throws a solid changeup. On top of his elite command, Solometo has a funky delivery that adds a ton of deception to his stuff. On paper, his offerings may only sit at average to above average, but they all play well above their statistics because of his other traits.

Choosing Solometo over Bubba Chandler was a hard choice, but going just by the level they're starting at and how they performed in 2022, I had to go with the funky southpaw. By the end of the season, Solometo will be the Pirates’ top pitching prospect. Not only do I think he’ll continue to pitch well, but also be able to conquer Greensboro. He may even see a few outings at Altoona before the end of the season. I would even go so far as to say he’ll be seen as a consensus top 100 prospect by the industry by the conclusion of 2023.