Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Who Have Rebounded in 2023

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have seen these prospects rebound after missing a good chunk of the 2022 campaign

The Pittsburgh Pirates have plenty of prospects who have broken out this year. But the team has also had a handful of prospects who have come back after missing a good chunk of time in 2022, or even before that. You can’t talk about Pirates prospects who have come back strong without mentioning former second-round pick Braxton Ashcraft.

Ashcraft barely pitched from 2020 through 2022. The right-hander had worked in all of 38.2 innings between the three seasons. First, there was COVID, which wiped out all of 2020, then his 2021 season ended before it really even started after he underwent Tommy John surgery. That surgery also kept him out for the entirety of 2022. But despite tossing less than 50 innings between the three seasons, Ashcraft has been nothing short of outstanding since his return.

Through 52.2 innings, Ashcraft owns a 2.39 ERA, 2.85 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP. Ashcraft has been a strikeout machine, making 29.8% of opponents go down on strike three. Not only has he struck out a ton of batters, but they’re not drawing walks against him either. He has just a 5.2% walk rate, another outstanding mark on his comeback tour. Right now, there is a total of 1194 pitchers with 50 IP in the minor leagues. Ashcraft’s 5.73 K:BB ratio is the 11th best. He’s also been great at limiting home runs with a 0.68 HR/9.

Outfielder Lonnie White Jr.

Our second prospect of the day, Lonnie White Jr., didn’t rebound because of any performance questions. He was a pretty decent hitter in 2021-2022, slashing .263/.300/.579 with a 123 wRC+. But the thing is, that was in just 40 plate appearances. White Jr. had missed pretty much all of 2022 with a UCL injury. He only managed to play in two contests. But that injury hasn’t seemed to slow him down in the slightest in 2023.

After an outstanding showing at the Pirates’ Florida Complex League affiliate, White Jr. was promoted to Bradenton where he’s batted .262/.403/.496 with a .420 wOBA, and 145 wRC+ in 176 PAs. White Jr. has been a power/speed threat. He’s blasted seven balls out of the park while swiping ten bags. In a 600 plate appearance/150 game season, White Jr. is on pace for 24 home runs and 38 stolen bases. He’s also drawn a ton of walks with a 16.5% walk rate. However, the big downside to his season has been his 28.4% K-rate. There are some legitimate concerns about his hit tool. But at just 20 years of age, there’s plenty of time for White to improve the weakest part of his game.

Left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco

Our second former second-round pitching prospect we will discuss, Hunter Barco has just recently returned to action after missing a good chunk of this year. The Pirates drafted Barco out of the University of Florida, knowing he’d miss at least half of the 2023 campaign. Barco had undergone Tommy John surgery in May, which cut his season short. However, he was pitching well leading up to the surgery, working to a 2.50 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 6.27 K:BB ratio through 50.1 innings.

Barco has only managed 17.2 innings since his return, but those have been 17.2 strong innings. He has allowed six earned runs, but has struck out 28 while walking five. Barco has yet to allow a home run this year. Barco has been an extreme ground ball pitcher thus far, inducing a grounder 56.4% of the time. The lefty is a soft tosser, but has been extremely effective thus far. The Pirates will likely stretch him out for more innings and get him geared up for a full 2023 campaign, one that could significantly boost his prospect stock.

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