Pittsburgh Pirates: Three 2023 Draft Picks Who Could Quickly Climb Through the Minors

Patrick Reilly

Carlson wasn’t the only relief prospect that the Pirates selected in the 2023 draft. They also selected Patrick Reilly. Reilly was taken out of Vanderbilt in the 5th round. Reilly wasn’t as dominant as Carlson in college. In 48.1 innings, Reilly had a 5.77 ERA and 1.53 WHIP while walking 13.3% of the batters he faced. On the plus side, he did have a 28.9% strikeout rate and a respectable 1.12 HR/9. Reilly started the year in Vandy’s rotation but was moved to the bullpen.

In Reilly’s defense, he was much more effective out of the bullpen, where he had a 3.89 ERA in 37 innings. But that didn’t fully translate into the professional levels, at least not yet. He only pitched 10.2 innings but allowed seven earned runs, two homers, and eight walks. He kept striking out a lot of batters as 19 went down on strike three.

Reilly has a great fastball. He sits mid-90s and tops out around 99, but with good life because he averages out above 2500 RPM. His most used secondary offering as a pro was his cutter, a low-90s pitch with around 2200 RPM. He’ll also tinker with a two-seam/sinker, but his command might benefit from honing in on just his four-seamer and cutter.

He may also benefit from working just one or two innings at a time. Despite getting moved to the bullpen, Reilly was used as a long reliever more than anything else. His five longest outings of the season were as a relief pitcher with only one of his four starts going longer than three innings.

Reilly could quickly make his way through the Pirate farm system and make his MLB debut within a year for the same reasons Carlson could. He’s a power reliever with good stuff. Moving him into a one or two-inning role and focusing on just his best pitches could improve his overall ability.