Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Players Set to Benefit From a Full Season

Anthony Solometo

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Anthony Solometo in the second round of the draft in 2021. Although Solometo was selected outside the first round, many mock drafts projected him as a first-round pick. MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo had him going 27th overall to the San Diego Padres; however, both Mayo and Jim Callis mentioned him as a potential target for the Toronto Blue Jays with the 19th pick. But Solometo fell because of signability, and the Pirates landed him on an over-slot deal.

While the talented southpaw has yet to play a full season, his first showing as a professional ball player couldn't have gone better. It was a small sample size of 47.2 innings, but Solometo worked to a 2.64 ERA, 2.83 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP. He also had a ground ball rate above 50% at 50.9% and didn't allow a single home run. Solometo struck out 27.1% of opponents faced, and the only downside was his 10.1% walk rate.

Solometo isn't a flamethrower, averaging out in the lower-90s, but all of his stuff plays up for two reasons. Solometo locates his stuff very well. He has pin-point command and hits his spots very often. Not only can he locate it well, but he does it with an extremely unconventional wind-up and delivery. It's a mix between Madison Bumgarner with Dontrell Willis' arm slot, adding a ton of deception. He also throws a nasty slider with a decent change-up.

It's not that bold to say that Solometo could be a top-100 prospect by the end of the 2023 season. Give him a full year to show what he can do, and he'll be among the best minor league prospects. Solometo has a ton going for him next season. He could end up as one of, if not the Pirates' best pitching prospect by the end of the year.

Lonnie White Jr.

The second player from the 2021 draft we'll look at today is Lonnie White Jr. A prep outfielder from Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh Pirates used their competitive balance pick to select White. Talented and athletic, White Jr. has the potential to become one of the Pirates' best outfield prospects by the end of the year. But he does come with some risk that makes him a bit of a wild card.

When White Jr. has been healthy enough to play, he's been fairly effective with the bat. He only has 40 plate appearances to his name, but has hit .263/.300/.579. Of his ten hits, six have gone for extra bases (three doubles and three home runs). But where White has struggled has been with his plate discipline. He's struck out 17 times with just two walks; a 42.5% strikeout rate, and a 5% walk rate.

The former Penn State wide receiver commit has the tools that point to a plus power hitter in the future. His swing creates leverage in his 6'3", 215-pound frame. He should also remain in center field long term. He's exceptionally fast, with MLB Pipeline considering him a 70-grade runner with 60-grade fielding. However, the red flags are clear. He has swing-and-miss in his game and, as indicated by his small sample size, has struggled to draw walks.

White Jr. was injured for part of last year. Had it not been for this injury, he may have ended up seeing some time at Bradenton at the tail-end of the minor league season. Although White Jr. has some issues he needs to fix and improve upon, he just turned 20 on December 31st. White Jr. should be a regular fixture in Bradenton's outfield next season. If he displays the kind of power that could hit 20 home runs, the speed to swipe 30+ bases, and potential Gold Glove fielding, look for him to shoot up prospect lists.

Bubba Chandler

After the Pittbsurgh Pirates selected Solometo and White Jr., they then went on to pick Bubba Chandler. Chandler was one of the most talented high schoolers in the draft. A two-way player who had a football commitment to Clemson, Chandler fell to the third round because of signability. Many had him as a top 20 pick and top 15 talent.

Chandler only pitched 41.1 innings last year between the Pirates' Complex affiliate and their A-Ball affiliate, but he did quite well. He worked to a 2.61 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. Chandler struck out a whole lot of batters. Batters struck out at a 34.7% rate against him, and he also kept the ball in the park. Chandler had a 0.65 HR/9, but where he struggled was limiting walks (16.2% walk rate).

Although the Pirates drafted Chandler as a two-way player, he's looked much better on the mound. That still doesn't mean he has zero potential as a batter. In 124 plate appearances, Chandler posted solid numbers, including a .196/.331/.382 line, a 16.1% walk rate, and a .186 isolated slugging percentage. This all adds up to a 104 wRC+. While that only makes him a slightly above average hitter, and he still struck out nearly a third of the time (33.1% strikeout rate), you tell me how many pitchers hit semi-regularly, walk over 15% of the time, and have an isolated slugging percentage approaching .200.

The right-hander was averaging out in the mid-to-upper-90s on the mound. Aside from his fastball, he also throws a power curve in the upper-70s. His slider hasn't been used as often, but it's still a pitch that has flashed above-average potential when he has used it. He also features the occasional change-up, another offering he has a feel for. All of his pitches have distinct speed ranges as well.

One thing I think a lot of fans overlook is his athleticism. The Pirates drafted him as a two-way player at pitcher and shortstop, which is considered the most athletically-needed infield position. Chandler has made some very nice plays off the mound, but he can use that athleticism to his advantage in other ways. It could also help his longevity, stamina on the mound, and ability to command the ball in the future. FanGraphs projects him to grow into 55-grade command eventually.

Chandler should start the year at Bradenton next year but could eventually work himself into playing time at High-A Greensboro. He and Solometo have a very good chance of being a consensus top 100 prospects by the end of the year. Even if he only produces similar results with his bat, he's more than a good enough pitcher to make up for it.