Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Left-Handed College Pitchers to Watch This Spring

Quinn Mathews

Quinn Mathews was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays during last year’s draft. The Stanford University lefty was selected in the 19th round, but the two sides were unable to come to terms. Now, Mathews will enter the 2023 draft as a senior and would be a good pitcher for the Pirates to target.

Last season, Mathews worked to a 3.08 ERA and 11.27 WHIP across 99.1 innings of work. Mathews worked in both high-leverage and as a starter. He closed out nine games, but he also started nine. Two areas Mathews excelled in were striking batters out and keeping the ball in the park. The lefty had a 26.3% strikeout rate and 0.36 HR/9 rate. However, where he struggled was with walks, with an 11.6% K-rate.

Mathews isn’t a hard thrower. He currently only sits in the low-90s but tops out at 95. According to Prospects Live, some believe he can improve his fastball and velocity. Mathews stands at 6’2”, 192 pounds. He also throws a curveball that was averaging out in the low-70s in his first start of the college season, as well as a changeup and slider (both sat in the low-80s).

Mathews has a lanky and slender frame, and although he is a college senior, there’s still some projection. His arm slot is nearly at an overhead angle. There are a decent amount of moving parts in his motion as well. Where Mathews struggles is consistently locating in the strike zone. He can get a bit wild at times, as indicated by his walk rate. Mathews has an outlook of a back-of-the-rotation starter, but he could see his stuff play up in the bullpen. Maybe he could sit closer to 92-94 in the bullpen instead.

The southpaw is a senior, so the Pittsburgh Pirates could probably land him on an under-slot deal if they were to draft him. Depending on who the Pirates draft, Mathews could be a decent under-slot draft pick. They could get both a solid prospect and be able to sign their other draft prospects.

Carson Dorsey

The Texas Rangers drafted Carson Dorsey as a 19-year-old during last year’s draft. Although the Rangers picked him in the 17th round, Dorsey went unsigned. He’s heading into his age-20 season, which will still make him a hard sign, but he’s a left-handed pitcher with a lot of upside, one that could potentially sign over slot.

Dorsey pitched with the famous Savannah Bananas last year in the Coastal Plain League. He only pitched 22.1 innings but was extremely effective. In total, Dorsey only allowed four earned runs and 12 hits, none of which were home runs. He also only walked three batters and struck out 32. It was a small sample size for a team who is more entertainment than sport, but a good sample size nonetheless.

Dorsey has a ton of projection. At 6’5”, 165 pounds, there’s plenty of room for him to add strength to his frame. Not only does he have a physical projection, but he’s already a great athlete on the mound. He sits in the lower-90s with his fastball, but his curveball projects as well above average, and his slurve is another solid offering. It’s a nice package, but there’s certainly some risk involved.

The southpaw has a complicated motion on the mound. Dorsey flies open, and his arm can be a bit long, causing some command issues. He has a near over-head arm slot. But many evaluators think Dorsey’s ceiling can be sky-high and love his projectability. His projection and athleticism should help him out in the long run. Both his fastball and curveball project as plus-plus and the underlying metrics support that claim.

Ethan Flanagan

The Pirates might not take much risk with Dorsey or Mathews, but Ethan Flanagan might present a little more risk. The UCLA left-hander did pretty well last year, but started to show signs of weakness in the later-half of the season. But he’s a prospect where if things work out, he could end up being a decent pitcher in the future.

Flanagan pitched 60.1 innings in a swing-man role, starting seven of the 25 games he pitched in. Flanagan had a solid 3.28 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Flanagan had a so-so 10.6% walk rate and 0.90 HR/9 rate, but he did manage to whiff his fair share of batters. At the end of the year, Flanagan had a 28.8% strikeout rate. He’ll likely get a look at a starting pitcher this year for the Bruins.

Flanagan isn’t a flamethrower, only averaging out in the low-90s, but has topped out at 94 MPH. He throws his mid-80s slider more often than his four-seamer. His third offering is a big, looping curveball that comes in around the low-70s. He can take a lot off from it compared to his fastball and slider. He also throws a change-up with average potential.

Flanagan has a high-effort delivery, which could point to a future in the bullpen. However, he’s still a young arm; a slight tweak here or there could absolve his wind-up and command issues. He has a slightly high three-quarters arm slot and could end up as a decent LHP starter.