Rum Bunter's top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects: Where does Konnor Griffin debut?

Number 10: Mitch Jebb

The Pirates' 2022 second-round pick, Mitch Jebb, kicks our list off. The middle infield prospect got off to a slow start to his 2024 campaign. His first 205 plate appearances of the season produced a meager .199/.261/.290 triple-slash, paired with a .259 wOBA, and 59 wRC+. Jebb was never expected to hit for much power, but he also was never expected to strike out anywhere near 26.8% of the time. His 7.8% walk rate was also well below his expectations.

But since then, Jebb has been performing as expected. His most recent 190 PAs have seen him bat .307/.439/.425 with a .407 wOBA and 151 wRC+. He has nearly cut his strikeout rate in half to just 13.7% while upping his walk rate to 17.9%. While Jebb still isn't hitting for much power, he's at least gotten his isolated slugging percentage above .100 at .118.

Jebb is meant to get on base via hit or walk. He rarely struck out during college and is starting to show that kind of plate coverage at the professional level. He's also consistently drawn walks at a high rate. Unfortunately, he's not built for power. At best, he'll hit 8-10 home runs. Still, he's good at driving the gaps. His double-plus speed will help him leg out extra-base hits, as well as swipe some bags and cover plenty of ground.

Jebb has split his time between shortstop and second base. He projects as an average defense shortstop, but has an arm that might play better on the right side of the infield. Jebb's speed also leads some to believe he could move to center field, if the need arises. Jebb logged a handful of games at third base during his time in the Cape Cod League, adding another position to his resumé.

Jebb's ability to make contact and draw walks, combined with his speed, make him a potential future leadoff hitter. He should be able to play up the middle long term as well, whether that be second base, shortstop, or center field. That could also give him some potential utility in the field as well.