Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Potential Future Position Changes

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a few prospects who may have to move positions in the near future to accommodate not only their own skill but also other players in the farm system

Prospects change positions all the time. Most second basemen were shortstops, many third basemen were also shortstops, and nearly all first basemen played other positions as an amateur in college, high school, or in their home country, or in the first few years of their pro career. There are also a handful of outfielders who were once infielders.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a deep farm system, ranked number one by FanGraphs but also number two by MLB Pipeline and number four by Baseball America. With the number of prospects coming up through the system, there will surely be a few notable names who will move positions for one reason or another. The Pirates may have someone filling that role right now, or their skills would be better used at another position.

With that, I want to look at some prospects who could change their position before making it to the big leagues. Note that I am not considering moving from center field to left or right field as a position change.

Mitch Jebb

Mitch Jebb was the Pirates’ second-round pick of this year’s draft. Selected out of Michigan State, Jebb posted some very interesting numbers throughout his college career. In his last two seasons, Jebb batted .345/.447/.503. While Jebb only had seven homers and a .159 isolated slugging, he also walked (70) much more often than he struck out (44). He got a ton of hits and walks, leading to a healthy OBP and BA. Jebb also showed off his speed, swiping 34 bases, albeit also getting caught a dozen times.

Jebb carried this high-contact/walk approach into his first handful of professional plate appearances, Jebb slashed .297/.383/.398 with a .373 wOBA and 116 wRC+. Jebb, once again, showed off an outstanding ability to prevent strikeouts and draw walks. He drew a base on balls 11.1% of the time while striking out in less than 10% of his plate appearances (7.2%, to be exact). He only hit one home run and an ISO just two ticks above .100, but having an OBP approaching .400 will make up for that.

Jebb is a great runner and became one of the fastest players in the Pirate system the moment they signed him. Jebb stole 38 bases in 147 college games, then swiped 11 more in 12 attempts as a professional ball player. The infielder was ultra-aggressive in the Cape Cod League, going 26-35 in stolen base attempts.

Although the Pirates drafted Jebb as a primary shortstop, he split his time almost evenly between short and second base. He has the range and projects as an average defensive shortstop, though his arm plays better at second base. Jebb also played a handful of games at the hot corner in the Cape Cod League. With his elite speed, some have thrown the idea of him in center field.

Dariel Lopez

Dariel Lopez has missed the entirety of the 2023 season due to a dislocated knee. Lopez had a breakout 2022 campaign, and he looked like he could be on track to be a potential infield option for the Pirates within the next year. Lopez has a relatively high offensive ceiling, though his defensive home has been left up to question.

During his age-20 campaign, Lopez batted .286/.329/.476 with a .359 wOBA and 116 wRC+ at Greensboro. The infielder hit for both average and power, smacking 19 home runs and having a .189 isolated slugging percentage. But he also struck out in about a quarter of his plate appearances (25.5%) while having a poor 5% walk rate. In Lopez’s defense, he did perform much better in the months following summer, owing a .859 OPS, .382 wOBA, and 132 wRC+ from June onward.

There are real questions about Lopez’s hit tool. He strikes out a little more often than you like to see. Lopez also struck out about a quarter of the time in 2021 as well. Plus, his walk rate of 5% is worrying, considering it dropped 4.9% from 2021. However, Lopez has some real power potential. If he can improve his hit tool, you might be looking at a guy who could crush 25-30 home runs at his peak.

Lopez was considered a below-average runner and a poor fielder even before his injury. Lopez played a little bit of everywhere in the dirt during 2022. He mostly lined up at third base, but also both middle infield positions. Lopez might be able to handle third base, but at an average level at best. That means that in the long term, he might end up at first base. He isn’t wholly unfamiliar with first, though he hasn’t played the position since 2019.

Now that Lopez underwent a serious injury to his leg, the middle infield could be out of the question for him. It was always questionable if he’d be able to play either second base or shortstop in the long run, and a dislocated knee did not help his cause. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pirates gave Lopez the reins at first base next year for Altoona.

Jack Brannigan

Jack Brannigan was part of the Pirates’ 2022 draft class. Picked out of Notre Dame in the third round of the draft, Brannigan was taken as a two-way player, one who had big power potential but also a blazing, upper-90s four-seam fastball. The Pirates likely aren’t planning on using Brannigan on the mound regularly, though his position on the infield could vary because of how talented of a defender he is.

In Brannigan’s first professional season, he was one of the Pirates’ best minor league hitters. Through 374 plate appearances between Bradenton and Greensboro, Brannigan batted .275/.390/.524 with a .415 wOBA and 145 wRC+. Brannigan showed off his big power potential, mashing 19 home runs while having an ISO just below .250 at .246. Brannigan was also a threat on the base paths, going 24-27 in stolen base attempts. He was an extremely patient batter, drawing walks in 14.2% of his plate appearances. However, this doesn’t come without any concern. Brannigan also struck out nearly 30% of the time (29.9% to be exact).

Brannigan was on fire from the start of July through the end of the season. His final 205 plate appearances yielded an astounding 1.007 OPS, .439 wOBA, and 165 wRC+. His isolated slugging percentage was approaching .300 at .297. He struck out in 30.7% of his plate appearances, but he also had a 12.2% walk rate and was on pace for nearly 40 home runs in 600 plate appearances.

Brannigan’s primary position is third base, but he’s shown to be a great defender at the position. Both MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs praise his defensive chops at the hot corner, with the ladder being more bullish. With an arm that was able to fire upper-90s heaters in college, his throwing ability is pushing into elite territory. Brannigan has also displayed average speed.

So far, most of the guys we’ve looked at might end up at a different position because they might outgrow their primary spot right now, might be filled by the time they reach the big leagues, or simply don’t have the defensive chops to remain at a premium position in the long run, and will have to move down to a less demanding position. This is a rare case where a player might move up the defensive spectrum.

Brannigan has already played a handful of games at both second base and shortstop. He actually played more shortstop than third base during his time at Greensboro. He only played 87 games in total (including 39 at High-A), but the Pirates seem to be confident in Brannigan’s ability to handle short. Now that Brannigan is focusing solely on playing the field, maybe next season could be his chance to really hone his skills at shortstop, and play the position full-time, possibly at Altoona.