Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects That Could Be Promoted Next

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.