Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Three Pitchers Who Could Become Consensus Top 100

Jared Jones

Jared Jones was the Pirates’ second-round pick in 2020. An over-slot high school draftee, Jones had a big fastball and high-end talent coming out of La Mirada High School. Jones’ first two pro seasons had their ups and downs. In his rookie season, he posted some solid results at Bradenton but ran into bad luck. He cut down on the walks the next season at Greensboro, but his other numbers moved in the wrong direction. But now, at Altoona, it seems like Jones has put it all together.

In 40.2 innings, Jones owns a strong 2.21 ERA, 3.55 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP. How Jones would handle walks as a professional would be a big make-or-break point for the right-hander. But as of now, he has a walk rate just below 9% at 8.1%. Jones has a healthy 25.6% strikeout rate while only allowing three home runs all year.

Jones’ stuff was never in question. He still averages out in the mid-upper-90s with a plus-plus spin. He also has a plus-plus slider while mixing in an average curveball and change-up. However, his control has gotten significantly better season after season. He first had an 11.3% walk rate but is now below 9%. However, command wise, Jones still gets inconsistent. Both are trending in the right direction. However, his control is far out ahead of his command.

Jones has already gotten some early top 100 attention, with Baseball America putting Jones at the tail-end of their recently updated top 100 prospect list. Jones came in at no. 91 but certainly could rise from there. Other lists, such as Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, could soon add Jones to their top 100 lists. He’s certainly trending in that direction.

Thomas Harrington

The Pirates selected Thomas Harrington 36th overall in the 2022 draft. Harrington ended his 2022 season at Campbell University on an extremely high note, posting an outstanding 2.53 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 6.17 K:BB ratio while allowing just a single home run in 92.2 innings. Harrington didn’t make his pro debut until 2023, but when he arrived in Bradenton, he made a great first impression.

The right-handed pitching prospect tossed 39 innings, working to a 2.77 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP. Harrington struck out over a quarter of opponents with a 26.7% strikeout rate but also managed a solid 8% walk rate. Home runs were a non-issue for Harrington, with a 0.69 HR/9 rate. Harrington’s impressive debut at Bradenton earned him a promotion to Greensboro at the turn of June.

Harrington’s first start at Greensboro had its faults, as he allowed six earned runs in only 2.1 innings but also struck out four batters without allowing a walk. However, his second start was flat-out dominant. Harrington tossed seven shutout innings while striking out eight batters. The only base runners he allowed were two singles.

The right-hander isn’t a hard-throwing pitcher, as he averaged out around 91-95 MPH with his four-seamer and sinker at Bradenton (Greensboro does not have pitch tracking data available on Baseball Savant). But he mixes in a strong changeup and above-average slider. His curveball is a fourth offering with average or better potential. Among all his offerings, his fading change-up is his best. Despite lacking elite velocity, Harrington’s fastball carries through the zone. His stuff also plays up because of his strong command.

Harrington could move fast through the Pirate system. He'll turn 22 in just a few days, and is one of the organization's best pitching prospects as of right now. Harrington is definitley making great positive strides, and I wouldn't rule out a late season promotion to Double-A Altoona if Harrington continues to dominate High-A batters the way he did in his most recent outing.

Anthony Solometo

Anthony Solometo really should be a consensus top-100 prospect by now. A second-round pick in 2021, many saw Solometo as a top-20 talent in the draft. However, questionable signability led to him falling to the first pick in the second round. Solometo had a phenomenal debut at Bradenton last season, where he had both an ERA and FIP under 3.00 and didn’t allow a single home run across 47.2 innings.

Now at Greensboro, Solometo has continued to be a highly dominant pitcher. Across 54.2 innings of work, Solometo owns a 2.47 ERA, 3.46 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP. The left-hander is striking out 28.8% of opponents faced while only allowing two home runs. Solometo is a strong ground ball pitcher and owns a well above-average 48.8% ground ball rate, the 15th highest qualified rate in High-A ball.

In an inverse to Jones, Solometo has elite command, but his control hasn’t been nearly as sharp. Solometo has pinpoint accuracy with his stuff, which isn’t fully reflected in his 11.5% walk rate. Also, unlike Jones, Solometo doesn’t rely on big velocity. He typically works around 90-94 MPH with a big breaking ball and average-to-above-average change-up. But his delivery and arm slot add a lot of deception, which throws off batters.

Solometo is only 20 years old and a young 20 at that. He won’t turn 21 until December. He’s dominating in a league where the average age for pitchers is 23.2 years of age, and the average age for position players is 22.3 years old. On top of that, he’s in an extremely hitter-friendly league. The average ERA is 4.54, while the average WHIP clocks in at 1.41. With his ability to dominate in that environment, along with his fastball velocity trending in the right direction, and other attributes that make it all play up, I don't see how Solometo isn't already on multiple top 100 prospect lists.