Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Top Performers at DSL, FCL Pitchers

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have a handful of prospects at their Dominican Summer League and pitchers at the Florida Complex League affiliates who are performing well thus far

There’s been plenty of attention given to the Pittsburgh Pirates player in the upper-levels of the minor leagues. There’s also plenty of talent in Greensboro and Bradenton that’s gotten coverage. However, the Pirates have a ton of talent in the short season affiliates. That includes their Dominican Summer League Affiliate and Florida Complex League affiliate.

Because of that, I want to shine a spotlight on the best performing players at each level. The FCL is a step below Bradenton, while the DSL is the lowest level of affiliate professional baseball. We will first start with the Dominican Summer League today.

Dominican Summer League

Juan Machado is one of best hitters the DSL Pirates have to offer. In 131 plate appearances, the 20-year-old outfielder is slashing .289/.466/.423. Machado has not hit for much power, and only has two home runs on the year. However, he has a sub-20% strikeout rate (19.8%) while walking in nearly a quarter of his trips to the plate (23.7%). Machado is aggressive on the base paths, and has attempted a stolen base 26 times while being successful 22 times. That’s a rate of 118 attempts per 150 games.

If Machado isn’t the DSL Pirates’ best hitter, then it’s Carlos Caro. An 18 year old infielder, Caro is slashing .302/.437/.479. He is hitting for more power than Machado, already having three home runs in 117 plate appearances as well as a respectable .176 isolated slugging percentage. Caro has a 21.8% strikeout rate, along with a strong 12.6% walk rate.

Angel Camacho has done well in a small sample size of 16.1 innings. The 2021-2022 international signee currently holds a 3.31 ERA, 3.23 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP. Camacho has a 36.9% strikeout rate, along with a 9.2% walk rate, and 0.55 HR/9 rate. For being such a heavy flyball pitcher, Camacho has a low home run rate. Either way, it’s a pretty good start to his pro career, as these are his first 16.1 innings as a member of the Pirates.

Yojeiry Osoria is the best performing pitcher at the DSL Pirates. In 24.1 innings, Osoria has a minuscule 0.74 ERA, along with a 3.14 FIP, and 0.82 WHIP. Osoria has struck out nearly a third of his opponents with a 32.6% strikeout rate, and has paired that with no home runs allowed. Osoria has induced grounders well over 50% of the time (58.3%). His 9.5% walk rate is decent, but nothing to write home about. Osoria is a bit older than your typical DSL pitcher as this is his age-20 campaign. It’s also his third round through the DSL, so maybe it’s time to see what he can do at a full season level, or the FCL at the very least.

Florida Complex League pitchers... and two honorable mention hitters

Earlier this week, Marty took a look at three of top performing hitters for the FCL Pirates this season. So today we will mostly focus on pitchers in the FCL. However, there are two hitters we will still take a look at.

If there’s any position player who is making a run for Bradenton before the end of the year, it’s catcher/outfielder Miguel Sosa. Sosa has been scorching hot this year. In 68 plate appearances, the 19 year old is batting .326/.544/.534. Sosa has only struck out in 22.1% of his trips to the plate, but has walked an astounding 22 times for a 32.4% walk rate. He is hitting for decent power too with a .209 isolated slugging percentage. With a wRC+ of 187, he’s probably the Pirates’ best short-season hitter thus far.

One last FCL player with over 100 plate appearances who is doing fantastic is Eddy Rodriguez. Rodriguez is batting .309/.436/.496 through 101 trips to the plate. He’s walking at a strong 12.9% rate, but is striking out about 10% less often than Valdez with a 14.9% strikeout rate. Though he hasn’t hit for as much power, with a three home runs, four doubles, and a .160 isolated slugging percentage. Still, he has an outstanding 140 wRC+ on the year.

Although he would be one of the youngest players at the level, Michael Kennedy also has a chance of debuting at Bradenton before the end of the year. The Pirates’ 2022 fourth-round pick, Kennedy currently has a 2.93 ERA, 3.75 FIP, and 1.30 WHIP in 27.2 innings.

Opponents haven’t been able to touch up Kennedy, as they have struck out 31.4% of the time and are only managing a .200 batting average. When they do get a hit, it hasn’t been a long ball as Kennedy has allowed just a single homer all year. The only area that Kennedy has struggled with is walks with a 13.6% walk rate. Still, with how well he’s been pitching and the fact he was a talented draft pick, there’s a chance Bradenton will get an 18-year-old southpaw before the end of the season.

Antowne Kelly is the Pirates’ FCL affiliate’s best RHP. Another 19-year-old, Kelly owns a 2.33 ERA, 2.99 FIP, and 1.30 WHIP in 27 innings. Kelly has struck out 33 batters for a strikeout rate of 29.2%, and has yet to allow a home run. However, walks have been an issue, like they have been for Kennedy. He has a 10.6% walk rate, which while not terrible, is a tad high. Of course, take it for face value, as we’re talking about less than 50 innings and in the Florida Complex League.

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