Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Rule 5 Daft Decisions Loom Ahead of Deadline

The Pittsburgh Pirates are now on the clock to decide which Rule 5 eligible prospects could be protected and added to the 40-Man roster. With a couple open 40-Man spots, General Manager Ben Cherington can either be aggressive and protect a few prospects or be defensive and hope that they won’t be selected by another team once the Rule 5 draft arrives later in the offseason.

Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost a dozen players in the 2022-2023 Rule 5 draft; the majority of which were organizational depth pieces in the minor leagues. The only notable prospect that was selected by another team was catcher Blake Sabol, who was selected by the Cincinnati Reds and subsequently traded to the San Francisco Giants. Sabol immediately became a quality player for the Giants during the 2023 season and some Pirates fans (myself included) were surprised and disappointed that Sabol was not added to the 40-Man roster before last year’s deadline. However, the Pirates did select left-handed pitcher José Hernández from the Dodgers, who became a reliable bullpen option for the Pirates in 2023 as well as outfielder Josh Palacios in the minor league portion of the draft.

The Pirates have a few openings on the 40-Man roster in which Ben Cherington could fill those vacancies with Rule 5 eligible prospects, and leave an extra spot to add a player in the Rule 5 draft. Today, we will be looking at potential prospects that the Pirates could add to the 40-Man roster before tonight’s 6 p.m. deadline.

Right-Handed Pitcher, Braxton Ashcraft

Following a dominant season across High-A and Double-A in 2023, the 23-year-old pitcher seems to be the most likely prospect to be added to the Pirates 40-Man roster. Since joining the Pirates, Ashcraft struggled early on in his minor league career, but took tremendous strides during the 2023 season. After being promoted from High-A Greensboro to Double-A Altoona, Ashcraft posted a 1.35 ERA, 1.88 FIP, and a 0.95 WHIP across 20 innings pitched and 8 starts. Ashcraft struck out 29.1% of the batters he faced, only walked 5 batters, and didn’t allow a single home run with the Curve.

Considering that Ashcraft has barely pitched over the last few years, the Pirates have been very careful with the amount of innings he’s been pitching, which explains why he has barely pitched extensive innings per start this season. According to MLB Pipeline, Ashcraft is listed as the organization's no. 12 prospect and it would be a tremendous shock if he is not protected from the Rule 5 Draft. If Ashcraft is not protected, it would be highly likely that he gets selected by another team in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.

Infielder Tsung-Che Cheng

Another prospect that could potentially be added to the 40-Man roster is 22-year-old infielder, Tsung-Che Cheng. Known for his contact ability, solid fielding ability, and extreme athleticism and versatility, Cheng has the tools and a high ceiling which could earn himself a 40-Man spot. Before the 2023 season, Cheng played for Chinese-Taipei in the World Baseball Classic and got to showcase himself in front of world. Like Ashcraft, Cheng was also promoted to Double-A Altoona following a dominant stint in High-A Greensboro, where he hit .308/.406/.575, with 9 home runs, drove in 31 RBI, and had a 163 wRC+ across 254 plate appearances. Cheng also stole 13 bases, walked 13.8% of the time at the plate, and was great defensively.

While Cheng’s stats with the Curve aren’t as impressive as his High-A stats, there is still a lot to like. In Double-A, Cheng’s stats had a noticeable drop off, hitting .251/.304/.352, with 4 home runs, drove in 25 RBI, and had an 80 wRC+, a massive drop off compared to his High-A stint. Cheng also stole 13 bases with the Curve, but struggled to get on base, and struck out 18.9% compared to walking 6% of the time at the plate. Even with his struggles, Cheng is currently the no.18 prospect in the Pirates farm system according to MLB Pipeline.

Due to the Pirates having a long list of young infielders like Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Liover Peguero, Ji Hwan Bae, and others competing for playing time, this could lead to the Pirates not adding him to the 40-Man roster. Cheng is a definite wild card option and could be left off the 40-Man, but I think it would be a mistake to not protect the young infielder.