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.

Nick Yorke

Along with Billy Cook, the Pirates also acquired the Boston Red Sox’s 2020 first-round pick Nick Yorkeat the deadline. He was traded to Pittsburgh for another former first-round pick, Quinn Priester. Like Cook, Yorke was also performing well with the Red Sox’s Double-A and Triple-A teams.

Between the two levels, he was hitting .278/.363/.422 with a .357 wOBA, and 116 wRC+. Yorke had a strikeout rate below 20% at 18.6%, along with an 11.5% walk rate. The only negative to his game was his .144 isolated slugging. Yorke did exceptionally well for the Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a .898 OPS, .402 wOBA, and 136 wRC+ in 169 plate appearances.

Yorke has appeared in 10 games with 35 at-bats for Triple-A Indianapolis (three walks, one iBB). In that time, he has 13 hits, four of which have been doubles. Yorke has struck out just five times. His wRC+ in the small sample size is 134, and his OPS is just over .900 at .911.

Yorke’s numbers under the hood are also promising. He has a whiff rate below 20% at 19.3% and is making hard contact on a consistent basis. His exit velocity clocks in at 91.2 MPH (the 19th best among any minor leaguer at A-Ball or Triple-A with at least 200 plate appearances) and 12 degree launch angle. His exit velo and launch angle are similar to that of Carlos Correa, Manny Machado, Ryan O’Hearn, Riley Greene, and Jurickson Profar this season.

Yorke is primarily a second baseman, but he has also played a handful of games in left field this season, including with the Red Sox and the Pirates minor league teams. The Pirates have also played him in center field once already at Indy. 

The Pirates lost Nick Gonzales to the 10-day IL, but helped resolve the position by acquiring Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the deadline. Still, Yorke could replace either Ji Hwan Bae or Jared Triolo on the active roster. Triolo may bring elite defense to multiple positions, but Yorke is no slouch with the glove, and Triolo has just a .557 OPS on the season. Bae has an OPS below .500 right now and his defense in center field has taken a step back from the second half of last season.