The future of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation

We're far from done, as Thomas Harrington is another potential future rotation arm. The 2022 first-round competitive balance pick had a quality year between Bradenton and Greensboro last year, working to a 3.53 ERA, 4.00 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP in 127.1 IP. He recorded a 27.8% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate, and 0.99 HR/9. Harrington was slated to start the year with Solometo and Chandler at Altoona but opened the year on the IL. He is back in action, however, and in his first rehab start, he pitched three scoreless innings with 3 K's and only one walk.

Harrington isn't a hard-throwing pitcher, sitting 93-94 MPH, but with good action. He reworked his slider into more of a sweeper with 15.5 inches of glove-side break. It's arguably become his best pitch. But when the Pirates drafted Harrington, his change-up was his best offering. It's still a good pitch, but his sweeping slider has overtaken the mantle. He'll also mix in a curveball and occasionally a cutter. Harrington's progress last year was extremely promising, and he was left just outside the top 100 on some prospect lists.

Harrington isn't the only player from the Pirates' 2022 draft class who is making strides. Their second-round pick, Hunter Barco, has been lights out to open the year. He's pitched 22.1 innings to open the year with a 2.01 ERA, 2.12 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP. The southpaw has an 8.7% walk rate, has struck out over a quarter of the opponents he's squared off against (33.7% K%), and has yet to allow a home run with a 49% ground ball rate.