Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Where Newly Acquired Players Rank in the System

Pitcher Jackson Wolf

The primary source for prospects many fans go to is MLB Pipeline, which has Jackson Wolf as the best new trade deadline addition. Wolf owns a 4.08 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP through 88.1 innings for the Padres’ Double-A affiliate. He’s struck out a ton of batters with a 29.8% strikeout rate, and has an equally strong 6.3% walk rate. Among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched at Double-A this year, Wolf’s 4.77 K:BB ratio is the 7th best rate. The only poor mark on his season thus far has been his 1.22 HR/9.

MLB Pipeline places Wolf as the Bucs’ 16th best prospect. They praise his breaking pitches, that being his slider, and curveball, as well as his ability to keep left-handed batters quiet. FanGraphs, meanwhile, agrees that Wolf is a good prospect, ranking him as their 20th best minor leaguer. In their write-up on the southpaw, they also report that he’s a nightmare for lefty batters. They also like his athleticism and fluid motion on the mound.