Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Who Could Develop MLB Roles in 2023

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a handful of up and coming prospects, but will these talented minor leaguers take over a regular role this season?

It’s generally considered that a handful of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ prospects will be in a regular role by the end of the season. Endy Rodriguez will almost certainly be in a regular role, as do many of the Pirates’ pitching prospects, such as Luis Ortiz (who already made his Major League debut), Quinn Priester, and Mike Burrows. Even a handful of their relief prospects could be in a higher-leverage role too.

But there definitely are prospects who might spend a little longer in the minor leagues unless their performance demands they get promoted. The Pittsburgh Pirates may already have major leaguers in their primary positions, or they’re only now moving to an upper-level of the minor leagues. Today, I want to look at a few of these prospects and their chances of overtaking a regular role by the end of the season.

OF/1B Matt Gorski

A former second-round pick, Matt Gorski had a strong breakout season between four levels of the minor leagues. Gorski is a speed/power threat who brings some first base versatility to the mix. The outfield picture could be crowded, as does the first base picture, so could Gorski secure a regular role by the end of the season?

Gorski played essentially half of a major league season, appearing in 81 games and 325 plate appearances. In total, he batted .280/.358/.598. Gorski has always had outstanding power potential but put it together this year. He slugged 24 home runs with an isolated slugging percentage over .300 at .318. Gorski also had a 10.2% walk rate. On top of all that, he swiped 21 bags in 24 attempts. Overall, Gorski ended the year with a .411 wOBA and 152 wRC+.

However, the season wasn’t with its downsides. He struck out 29.8% of the time between Double-A and Triple-A, compared to just 26.7% at High-A Greensboro. He was still highly productive at Altoona, owning a .844 OPS, .370 wOBA, and 133 wRC+, but the increase in strikeouts is still a bit worrying.

Gorski is considered a solid defensive outfielder. He mostly played center, where he had an above-average range factor, but he also had just over 100 innings logged in right field. Gorski had 100 innings at first base, giving him a little more utility.

The same issues with Nunez finding major league playing time are the same issues with Gorski finding it. The outfield is occupied by Bae, Bryan Reynolds, and Jack Suwinski/Connor Joe. Choi and Santana take up first base, and Nunez is likely an option at first base before Gorski. But like Nuñez, there’s a good chance that something happens that opens up playing time. Asking for an entire team to perform well is an arduous task, and asking them to both stay healthy and perform well is impossible.

The fact that Gorski can play both first base and center field is a major plus. The Pirate minor league outfield depth is thin. Their top outfield prospect, per FanGraphs, is Tony Blanco Jr., who’s still years away from being Major League ready. The next closest outfielder with ample Double-A or Triple-A experience is Travis Swaggerty, who now projects as more of a fourth outfielder after his 2021 injury and down 2022. If Gorski is performing well, there will definitely be an opportunity for him to receive regular playing time, given the lack of quality outfielders in the upper levels of the Pirates’ minor league system.

Catcher Henry Davis

The Pittsburgh Pirates have two very talented catching prospects. One is Endy Rodriguez, who’s almost guaranteed to eventually be the regular catcher at some point during this upcoming season. But the other highly touted backstop was the team’s number-one overall pick in 2021. That’s Henry Davis. With Rodriguez, the Pirates could have a backstop clog-up in th near future, but will Davis make that happen this year?

Davis turned in a quality season at the dish. In 255 trips to the plate, Davis slashed .264/.380/.472. Davis, who’s known for his plus power, had a healthy .208 isolated slugging percentage and ten home runs and a dozen doubles. He also only struck out 20% of the time with an 8.2% walk rate. Between solid plate discipline and plus power production, Davis ended the year with a .385 wOBA and 136 wRC+, making him the second most productive catcher in the system per wRC+. Overall, his wRC+ was the 5th best among the Pirates’ minor league bats with 200+ plate appearances.

But it was also quite an odd year for Davis. The backstop received 20 HBPs in less than 300 plate appearances. That’s an almost unheard-of rate. For reference, in FanGraphs’ recorded baseball history (since 1871), only 140 players have been hit 20+ times. Just one did it in fewer than 300 plate appearances. This caused him to suffer a few injuries, one of which was a fractured wrist that bothered the backstop throughout the year. It was clear this was an issue late in the year, as he registered just a .703 OPS, .320 wOBA, and 97 wRC+ at Altoona.

But if his Arizona Fall League numbers are an indicator of anything, it’s that he’s back to full strength. He had an OPS of .875 in the small sample size of 69 plate appearances. Unsurprisingly, he was hit seven more times, a rate even higher than his regular season HBP/PA. Still, he seemed to stay healthy and perform well.

Where Davis struggles is defense. He has a cannon behind the plate, but keeping the ball in front of him has been an issue. He allowed seven passed balls in just 324 innings. Since becoming a professional baseball player, nine in less than 500 innings (370, to be exact). The Pirates did give Davis a few reps in right field but likely don’t view him as an outfielder. He’s still a catcher by trade and will remain there until he’s forced off.

I wouldn’t expect Davis to take over a regular role until late into the season. With Rodriguez, the Pirates don’t need to rush Davis. Even if Davis’ late-season struggles were a byproduct of his injury, you’d still like to see him piece together a healthy season. He’ll certainly make his debut at some point, but I doubt he will take over a regular role immediately like Rodriguez projects to. But by 2024, he should be in the mix for catcher/designated hitter. You could definitely see a situation where he and Rodriguez share catcher, DH, and first base to keep each other fresh. Plus, you get the added benefit of utilizing Rodriguez’s versatility.