Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects That Could Be Promoted Next

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted Henry Davis, along with Carmen Mlodzinski in June. Who could they promote next?

In June of this year, the Pittsburgh Pirates big promotion was Henry Davis. The former number-one overall pick in the 2021 draft looks to become a key member of the Pirate long-term core. The Bucs also promoted top relief pitching prospect Carmen Mlodzinski, and while the hype surrounding him was far less than for Davis, he still has the potential to be a major building block for the team's next Shark Tank bullpen.

The Pirates’ minor league system has also seen a ton of movement this month. Thomas Harrington and now J.P. Massey got sent to Greensboro. Anthony Solometo and Braxton Ashcraft were sent to Altoona along wiht Tsung-Che Cheng. Jared Jones is now at Indianapolis. The Pirates are probably far from done with moving guys around.

So with that, who are the next prospects that could make it to the big leagues?

Jared Triolo

Jared Triolo has silently flown under the radar for years now. The utility man has consistently done well through the minor leagues. Going into the 2023 season, Triolo had three consecutive seasons with a wRC+ of at least 110, a walk rate of 8.5% or greater, and a strikeout rate under 20%. Triolo opened the year on the injured list, but he has done well since returning.

In only 159 plate appearances, Triolo is slashing .306/.409/.433 with a .389 wOBA and 121 wRC+. Although Triolo has so far kept up his 110+ wRC+ streak, his strikeout rate is abnormally high. He’s gone down on strike three 26.4% of the time. But he’s continued to walk at a strong rate at 15.1%. His .127 isolated slugging percentage is below average, but power has never been his strongest suit. Plus, he also showed little power in the first half of 2022 before ending the season on a high note when it came to power-hitting.

Triolo’s bat has always played well, but his defense is his calling card. He’s the Pirates’ best infield prospect when it comes to fielding. Triolo’s primary position is the third base, where he’s been nothing short of outstanding. However, he’s seen an increasing amount of time at shortstop, where he’s successfully been able to carry that defensive prowess over. Last season, he saw a few games in center field and got some work on the right side of the infield in Spring Training (granted, he only has one game at the keystone and none at first base yet).

Triolo was Rule 5 eligible going into last off-season, and the Pirates opted to protect him by adding him to the 40-man roster. Because of that, Triolo could very well be the next guy the Pirates promote. Given that Triolo is also versatile, the Pirates would be able to find playing time for the infielder.

Liover Peguero

Liover Peguero made a brief cameo in 2022. He appeared in just a single game before being sent back to Double-A Altoona. He was sent back to Altoona to start the 2023 season, and while it might seem like a quick move to go from Double-A to the major leagues, especially for a 22-year-old, Peguero has made some massive gains and looks much better than he did last year, and has been red hot since late-April.

Peguero’s early April numbers were horrid. The first three weeks of the month did not treat him well. However, Peguero seemed to find something that worked for him and has been on a tear since. Over his last 233 plate appearances, which dates back to April 21st, Peguero is slashing .292/.361/.507 with a .386 wOBA and 133 wRC+.

Peguero is walking at a healthy 9.9% rate with a strong 17.2% srikeout rate. Keep in mind the league average strikeout rate in the Eastern League is 24.1%. In the month of June alone, he has an OPS well over .900 at .963 and wRC+ over 150 at 156.

There were questions about Peguero’s fielding going into 2023. To his credit, he’s significantly upped his range factor numbers, both in a per-game and per-nine innings rate. In 2022, his RF/9 at shortstop was 3.67, but that’s now up to 3.92. His RF/G sat at 3.54 in 2022 and is now up to 3.74. Granted, range factor is not very advanced, but it is the most advanced defensive metric we have for minor leaguers.

Peguero, like Triolo, is already on the 40-man roster, so the Pirates wouldn’t have to make any significant DFA or release in order for him to get the call to the big leagues. While Peguero is young, you also have to take into consideration the fact he’s done so well in a league where he’s nearly two-and-a-half years younger than the average pitcher.

Colin Selby

Colin Selby broke out in 2022 and became the Pirates’ best relief pitching prospect. A major uptick in velocity, as well as an improved slider and curveball. Selby, despite mostly looking like organizational depth going into the 2022 season, earned a 40-man roster spot in the off-season, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Selby’s numbers on the season aren’t great. He has a 3.63 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP. While he has an outstanding 28.9% strikeout rate and has yet to allow a single home run, Selby has dished out a free pass to nearly 16% of the batters he has faced off against (15.8%, to be exact).

But these numbers aren’t as bad as they seem. Selby’s first three outings of the year were poor, allowing three earned runs and five walks in just 3.2 innings. Selby also missed about a month from mid-May through mid-June.

Before landing on the IL, Selby allowed two more earned runs, along with two more walks. Despite this making up just four innings and four of his 16 outings, the amount of earned runs he allowed makeup nearly three-quarters of his total earned runs.

Aside from these few poor games, his ERA is 1.38, while his walk rate is just 10%. Selby is still a talented relief pitcher that should make his big-league debut very soon. If there was a time for him to come up, now would be it. Both Jose Hernandez and Colin Holderman have landed on the injured list. Dauri Moreta has struggled over the last few weeks, and he could soon join them if there is something bothering him.

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