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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Under-the-Radar Breakout Candidates
These three players may be flying under the radar right now, but are positioned for a breakout campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates this season
Every season each Major League Baseball team has players who burst onto the scene. For the 2023 Pittsburgh Pirates, there are plenty of players that fans and people around baseball are looking at as breakout candidates.
Can Rodolfo Castro build off his strong finish the 2022 season a breakout as the team's starting second base man? Will Oneil Cruz cut down on the strikeouts and put it all together allowing his limitless talent to shine through? Is this the season Ke'Bryan Hayes takes a step forward offensively? Does Roansy Contreras emerge as a true top of the rotation starting pitcher? These are all storylines that people will be watching with the Pittsburgh Pirates throughout the 2023 season.
Today, we are going to take a look at three under-the-radar breakout candidates. While these three players may not be garnering much discussion ahead of spring training, it would not be a surprise to see them playing a big role for the team by the end of the season.
Relief pitcher Robert Stephenson
Right-handed pitcher Robert Stephenson is a former first-round pick. Stephenson was selectd 27th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2011 MLB Draft. However, he has never lived up to first-round draft pick expectations.
In his career Stephenson owns a 4.90 ERA and a 4.82 FIP in 312.0 innings pitched. Stephenson's 312.0 innings pitched has come in 211 appearances, 22 of which have been starts. He has not made a start since 2018.
Stephenson started the 2022 season with the Colorado Rockies. After struggling in his second season with the Rockies, he was designated for assignment in late August. This led to the Pittsburgh Pirates claiming him off waivers on August 27th.
After joining the Pirates Stephenson would put together one of the best months of his MLB career. The 29-year-old righty posted a 3.38 ERA and a 2.81 FIP in 13.1 innings pitched with the Pirates. He walked 2.0% of batters faced, stuck out 36.0% of opposing batters, and allowed just two home runs (0.68 HR/9).
Stephenson has the stuff to be a very good major league reliever. Last season, he ranked in the 85th percentile of baseball in fastball spin rate, 91st percentile in fastball velocity, and in the 93rd percentile of chase rate.
His slider developed into a plus pitch during the 2022 season. Opposing batters hit just .170 off the pitch, to go with a .357 slugging percentage. The pitch also had a very, very strong 44.4% whiff rate. Stephenson's slider is a plus pitch, his fastball has the potential to be that as well. If that happens, Stephenson could quietly become one of the best relievers in the Pirate bullpen this season.
Starting pitcher Mike Burrows
When people think of the top pitching prospects in the Pirate farm system 2019 first-round pick Quinn Priester is likely the first name to come to mind. Luis Ortiz, who flashed some very good things in the majors last September, and the fast rising Bubba Chandler likely do as well.
One starting pitching prospect who is often times overlooked is righty Mike Burrows. This should not be the case, however. Burrows has some of the best spin rates in the Pirate farm system and three plus pitches. Burrows is also in position to crack the team's starting rotation this season and be one of the team's biggest breakout stars.
Burrows made 24 appearances last season, 22 of them being starts, between Double-A and Triple-A last season. In 94.1 innings pitched, Burrows posted a 4.01 ERA and a 3.29 FIP across the two levels. He walked 7.9% of batters faced, struck out a healthy 28.2%, limited opposing batters to a .231 batting average, and allowed just eight home runs (0.76 HR/9).
Burrows will start the season back at Triple-A Indianapolis. If Burrows pitches well for the Indians he could find himself in the Pirate starting rotation by early or mid-June. It would not be a surprise to see Burrows lock down a long-term spot in the Pirate starting rotation by the end of the season.
Utility man Jared Triolo
One of the most overlooked prospects in the Pirate farm system is utility man Jared Triolo. Selected 72nd overall in the 2019 draft out of the University of Houston, the now 25-year-old Triolo has hit and gotten on base throughout his minor league career, and now is on the doorstep of the majors.
To be honest, had Triolo not lost the entire 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic cancelling the minor league season he may have already made his MLB debut. Now that Triolo is on the 40-man roster, his major league debut happening in 2023 is a question of when not if.
Triolo spent the entire 2022 season with Double-A Altoona. He hit for a .282/.376/.419 slash line, to go with a 121 wRC+. He walked in 21.7% of his trips to the plate while striking out at just a 17.6% clip. He also stole 24 bases while spending a lot of time batting leadoff for Altoona.
Triolo could begin to carve out a Josh Harrison like role with the Pirates. That is, a player who can play nearly every position on the field and play most of them at a high level. If it were not for Hayes, Triolo would likely be the team's long-term answer at third base where he is a Gold Glove caliber defender. However, he also plays shortstop, second base, and the outfield at a high level.
The difference between Triolo and Harrison is that Triolo gets on base at a much higher level. In 1232 minor league plate appearances Triolo owns a 10.7% walk rate and an on-base percentage of .360. While he does not hit for a ton of power, he also has a higher power potential than what Harrison brought to the table.
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