Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Three Relievers to Keep Monitoring

While the Pittsburgh Pirates may have some notable relief pitching prospects, these three are under-the-radar guys worth monitoring

The Pittsburgh Pirates have some notable minor league pitchers in their farm system. Luis Ortiz, Quinn Priester, and Mike Burrows are atop most Pirate prospect lists, but there's plenty of more talent between Thomas Harrington, Kyle Nicolas, Bubba Chandler, Anthony Solometo, and Jared Jones. They're all starting pitching prospects, and there are some relief pitching prospects Pirates fans are likely already familiar with.

Tahnaj Thomas had a great breakout 2022 season after fully transitioning to the bullpen. Late-round 2021 pick Tyler Samaniego may end up being a high-leverage lefty for the Pirates. Colin Selby's 2022 season was completely unexpected, and he became the Bucs' best relief prospect in just one season. Not to mention some other guys like Nick Dombkowski, J.C. Flowers, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Cody Bolton.

But there are certainly some other names currently in the Pirate system that fans should keep tabs on. These players may not be the organization's best relief pitching prospects, but they could develop into potential arms for the bullpen later down the line in the near future.

Julian Bosnic

We'll discuss two left-handed relief pitchers today, and one of them is Julian Bosnic. Bosnic was an interesting pitcher going into the draft. The University of South Carolina lefty was ranked as one of MLB Pipeline's top 200 prospects in the 2021 draft. But injury concerns led to him falling to the 16th round, where he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants. The two sides couldn't come to an agreement, and Bosnic headed back to the draft the next season.

This time around, Bosnic was selected in the 14th round. The last time the left-hander pitched, he pitched 50.2 innings in 2021 with a 2.84 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 3.12 K:BB ratio. Bosnic both struck out batters at a high rate and kept the ball in the park. He only allowed two home runs for a 0.36 HR/9 while striking out 37.9% of the opponents he faced. The one area in which Bosnic struggled was walks allowed, where he had a 12.1% walk rate.

Bosnic has reeled off six-and-a-third scoreless innings for Bradenton. He's yet to allow a home run and has struck out 13 batters. Although there was some question as to whether Bosnic would be a reliever or starter at the professional level, it looks as if the Pirates are letting him settle into the bullpen in a high-leverage role. Two of his four appearances have resulted in a save. Though walks have still plagued him as he's issued six walks.

There's certainly a lot of talent in Bosnic. His four-seam fastball carries through the zone, and he throws a well-above-average curveball. He's also worked with a sinkerball this year, which sits with a similar low-90s velocity to his four-seamer. Bosnic's fourth offering occasionally throws a changeup but has a high-effort delivery. Plus he's not an extremely athletic pitcher, which is where the command issues come into play.

Either way, there's a lot to like about Bosnic. Hopefully, he develops into a future high-leverage left-handed reliever for the Pirates. He's already 23, so the Pirates will likely move him through the system with a little more aggression. You may see him in the big leagues later next season if he continues to perform well and improve his command.

Cy Nielson

Another 2022 draft pick, Cy Nielson, definitely has the name to become a good pitcher. The Pirates took Nielson in the 8th round in what ended up being a very pitcher-heavy draft. Nielsen was selected out of Brigham Young University after a strong season there. He fully transitioned to the bullpen in 2022, and it worked out well for him.

Nielson pitched 33.2 innings in his final college season, working to a 3.21 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 6.43 K:BB ratio, Nielson struggled with command in previous seasons but cut his walk rate down to an elite 5.1% rate. He also struck out nearly a third of the opponents he faced with a 32.6% strikeout rate. The only blemish on his season was his so-so 1.10 HR/9, which was slightly below average in the West Coast Conference.

Nielson also pitched well in the Cape Cod League, only allowing three earned runs on one home run and striking out 17 in 13.2 innings. Good Cape Cod League performances were a trend among many of the Pirates' pitching draft picks. But those numbers didn't carry over into his pro debut. He only pitched 8.2 innings but allowed eight earned runs, eight walks, and eight strikeouts.

However, the start of the 2023 season has gone much better for Nielson. The left-hander has tossed 8.2 scoreless frames. He's struck out 14 batters in that time while only allowing three to reach via free pass. With just four hits allowed, his WHIP sits below 1.00 at 0.81. Even better is his 69.2% ground ball rate.

Like Bosnic, Nielson looks to be taking up a high-leverage role, but at Greensboro. He has closed out three of his six-game appearances. He has the typical reliever pitch combo, with a four-seam fastball and sweeping slider. Nielson is another left-hander with the potential to be a future high-leverage arm.