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

The Pittsburgh Pirates could look to add more left-handed pitching in this summer's draft and these three college lefties will be worth watching this spring

Good left-handed pitchers are valuable, and they’re harder to come by than good right-handed pitchers. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ system has very little LHP depth. Their top lefty pitching prospect is Anthony Solometo, followed by Michael Kennedy, Hunter Barco, and relief prospects like Tyler Samaniego and Nick Dombkowki. While that’s not to say that they’re bad players (especially Solometo), it’s a steep dropoff as only Solometo, Kennedy, and Barco project as starting pitchers. Plus all three are at least a year-and-a-half away from making their major league debut.

But the Bucs could add another potential long-term LHP to the system in this year’s upcoming draft. They have the no. 1 pick, and while there’s no left-hander who is projected to go that high in the draft, they still have the fourth pick in each of the following rounds. They could go after a high school arm, but let’s take a look at some college arms worth watching this spring.

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.