Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Three Pitchers Whose Stock Can Skyrocket

Jun-Seok Shim

The best prospect the Pirates added this past winter was Korean right-hander Jun-Seok Shim. Shim opted to head to the United States instead of going into the KBO draft, and the Pirates inked him for a $750,000 signing bonus. Shim was regarded as a top-ten talent in this year’s international class and has a very high ceiling.

Many factors make Shim highly talented. The first is his fastball, which already tops out at 100 MPH. Keep in mind that Shim won’t turn 20 until early April of next season. He typically sits 94-96 MPH and projects to have good command. He has clean mechanics and good athleticism, which should help him improve in the long run.

His fastball isn’t the only pitch that is effective. Shim also has plus 12-6 curveball, which is his best secondary offering. He also throws a slider and change-up, both of which have flashed average potential. But with his athleticism and mechanics, there’s a possibility of four pitches here that end up as above average.

Shim should be on the top 100 watch, given his high ceiling. He also has the makeup to help him develop, such as his athleticism and mechanics. But the one thing that might hold him back is that he likely won’t play a full season. Shim will probably begin the year at the FCL but could work his way up to Bradenton later in the year. But if he performs well, there’s a chance he will start getting some top-100 recognition. If he doesn't this year, then he certiantly should in 2024.

Jared Jones

The Pirates drafted Jared Jones in the second round of the 2020 draft. Like Shim, he was a young, under-20-year-old flamethrower at the time the Pirates acquired him. Jones has certainly shown a fair amount of talent and looked promising in 2021, but he struggled in 2022. But if Jones can put it together at Altoona next season, he could become a top-100 prospect by the end of the season.

Jones pitched at the hitter-friendly Greensboro last season posting a 4.62 ERA, 4.85 FIP, and 1.35 WHIP. Jones got his fair share of strikeouts with a 26.7% strikeout rate, but that was a large decrease from the 34.1% rate he had at Bradenton in 2021.

But on the plus side, he cut his walk rate down from 11.3% to 9.6%. Where Jones struggled was with home runs, in which he allowed 1.39-per-9. But you have to keep in mind that the average ERA and WHIP in the South Atlantic League were 4.46 and 1.38, respectively. Jones also had a 16.2% HR/FB ratio, which played into his struggles with the long ball. No surprise, given that Greensboro is home-run-friendly. Jones was also very young for the league.

Jones throws around 96-99 MPH. His fastball is one of the best in the Pirate system, with Luis Ortiz being arguably the only pitcher in the system with a better four-seamer right now. He also throws a well-above-average slider, which is his best breaking pitch. But he also throws a curveball and changeup. MLB Pipeline is very bullish on Jones’ stuff, giving him 55-grades for three of his four offerings (fastball, slider, curveball) and grading his change-up as average.

The question when the Pirates drafted Jones was his command. However, he’s made visible progress in his ability to harness his stuff. He’s not going to be the next Greg Maddux, and he’s still slightly below average, but with the elite offerings he has to use, there’s certainly a lot to like about Jones, even if he isn’t the best command pitcher.

Double-A is when you start to see the separation between the prospects and the hype. Jones certainly has the talent to be a top prospect, and hopefully, a more pitcher-friendly environment does him some good. If he returns to his 2021 self, there’s certainly a chance you will start to see him on some top 100 lists. The Pirates have had some other flamethrowers breakout at Altoona over the last few years, so maybe Jones is the next one.

Thomas Harrington

Another early-round draft pick, this one comes in the form of Thomas Harrington. The Bucs picked Harrington as their first-round competitive balance pick this past year. Harrington was the 36th overall selection and signed for slightly under-slot value. But he wasn’t picked simply to save money after drafting and signing Termarr Johnson.

Harrington finished off a dominant season at Campbell University in 2022. Through 92.2 innings, the right-hander worked to a 2.53 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. The right-hander excelled at striking out batters (30% strikeout rate) and keeping walks to a minimum (4.9%). But he performed the best at limiting home runs, allowing just a singular long ball for a .09 HR/9 rate.

Unlike the previous pitchers we have talked about, Harrington doesn’t rely on velocity to get outs. That’s not to say that velocity alone makes either Jones or Shim’s fastball impressive, but it’s what separates Harrington from them. He only averages out around 91-94 MPH and plays up because of its carry through the zone. It’s considered an above-average offering, but his best pitch is his mid-80s changeup. This pitch is where Harrington gets most of his swings and misses. But he also has an above-average slider and curveball with average potential. Plus, everything he has is located well.

Aside from good command, there’s another reason that Harrington could rise through prospect rankings next season. There is some projection in his 6’2”, 185 pound frame. If he can add some muscle and increase his velocity, his fastball will play up even more. That doesn’t mean he’ll become the Pirates’ next flame-throwing prospect but he could sit closer to 93-95 MPH.

Harrington will likely start the year out at Bradenton but may end up seeing some time at Greensboro if he gets off to a hot start. He is 21 and will turn 22 in July, so it’s likely he may not spend much time at Bradenton. But if he conquers Greensboro, he could gain enough stock to appear on the backend of the top 100 lists.