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.

Michell Miliano

The Pirates received three players in exchange for Adam Frazier back at the 2021 trade deadline. Jack Suwsinki and Tucupita Marcano were the most notable in the trades, and both are currently on the major league roster. However, you'd probably be forgiven if you forgot the third player involved. That was Michell Miliano, who really didn't have any expectations going into 2023.

2023 marked the third year in a row Miliano would appear for Greensboro. In 2022, Miliano pitched 25.2 innings for the Grasshoppers, working to a 7.58 ERA, 5.68 FIP, and 1.91 WHIP. Miliano only had a .214 opponent average and struck out 29.1% of the batters he faced, but walks were the major reason he struggled so much. Miliano had a horrendous 22% walk rate, and it wasn't a fluke either. Miliano also walked 20.9% of batters in 2021 and had a 16.4% walk rate in 2017-2019.

But Miliano has gotten off to a great start in 2023. He's pitched nine scoreless innings while striking out 19. But the most promising number is the three walks he's allowed. He's faced 36 total batters, so that comes out to a walk rate of just 8.3%, which would be the best of his career so far if he were to maintain that over the course of a full season.

Now keep in mind it is a small sample size. He hasn't even faced 50 batters yet, and he's pitched the equivalent of just a single game's worth of innings. But Miliano only had one streak last season in which he pitched at least nine innings and allowed fewer than five walks. It's also the first time since the very first three games of his career he's had three straight walkless appearances.

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.