Pittsburgh Pirates prospects who should be promoted to the major leagues immediately

August has been a rough month for the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates. Entering the month, the Pirates were on the upward swing. They were 55-53, only two games out of a Wild Card spot and six games out of the division. Fast forward to a horrendous 1-7 start to the month, and now they’re below .500, 11 games out of the division, and 5.0 out of a Wild Card spot.

Things are falling apart rapidly. This slide has been painful for the Pirates to go through, and something needs to change. Making some roster moves could help the Pirates and give them a much-needed breath of fresh air. They certainly have some options right now, however, and should bring up some of these prospects.

3 Pirates prospects who should be promoted immediately

Billy Cook

One of the prospects the Pirates acquired at the trade deadline was Billy Cook, who came over from the Baltimore Orioles for Patrick Reilly. The utility prospect was hitting well in the O’s system prior to the trade, batting .275/.371/.470 with a .373 wOBA, and 120 wRC+. Cook struggled to keep his strikeouts under control in previous seasons, but had just a 21.8% K% with the Orioles' Double-A and Triple-A teams. He also maintained a solid 11.4% walk rate. Cook has consistently hit for good power in the minors, and maintains a .195 isolated slugging percentage.

Since arriving to the Pirates, Cook has only continued to hit. In his first six games for Indianapolis, stepping to the plate 24 times since the trade, he collected nine hits. Five of those were doubles, and one left the yard. Cook went four-for-four on the basepaths swiping bags as well. He struck out five times and drew just a single walk, but that’s about the only negative of his first handful of games in the Pirates’ system.

If the Pirates call Cook up, they have plenty of options as to where to play him. Cook has primarily played first base this season, but has a handful of games at the keystone as well. He’s also played all three outfield positions. Cook is a plus runner with a plus arm, so he has the tools to play any of the outfield spots.

If promoted, Cook could seamlessly replace Connor Joe. Since the start of June, Joe only has a .549 OPS, .252 wOBA, and 58 wRC+. He has options remaining, so the Pirates can send him to Triple-A until he figures things out. Cook has an OPS over 1.000 against left-handed pitching this year in the minor leagues, so he could easily fill the role of platooning with Rowdy Tellez and, given his utility, will probably find himself in the lineup nearly everyday.