Three Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Who Could Breakout in 2024
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These three under-the-radar prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system could be in line for a breakout season in 2024
The MLB offseason is beginning to pick up steam now with Shohei Ohtani off to the Dodgers. While teams around the league are looking to find the right pieces to add to the major league clubs, it is also an important time for each organization to look at their minor league system to evaluate their talent, beginning to make decisions on where they anticipate their respective minor leaguers to start their 2024 seasons.
Today, we take a look at three Pittsburgh Pirates prospects who could be on the verge of breaking out this upcoming season.
Infielder Carlos Caro
19-year-old infielder Carlos Caro just finished up his first season of rookie ball for the Pirates Black and Gold teams in the Dominican Summer League playing 45 games between the two. In those 45 games, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Caro showed an advanced approach at the plate with a slash line of .310/.440/.504. He showed quality power as well with five home runs and eight doubles in his 129 plate appearances, a promising sign from Caro despite his small frame.
As he continues to fill out his 5-foot-11 frame, there should be more power for the San Cristobal native to tap into as he progresses through the Pirates system. Where Caro will start the 2024 season remains to be seen but if his 2023 season is any indication of what the future may hold for Caro, he’s going to be a name that we discuss more and more in the upcoming seasons.
Projected level to start 2024: It will be interesting to see if the Pirates push Caro to start the season with Bradenton or let him spend another year in rookie ball whether that’s as part of the Dominican Summer League or in the Florida Complex League. For now, projecting him to spend another year in rookie ball appears to be a safe bet with him turning just 19 this past November.
Outfielder Charles McAdoo
The Pirates 13th-round draft pick this past July, Charles McAdoo had a strong professional debut this summer for Single-A Bradenton, hitting .302/.412/.510 in 28 games and 96 at-bats. The San Jose State product showed off impressive power in his brief stint with Bradenton with five home runs and nine total extra-base hits.
He also showed strong discipline at the plate with 17 walks, he did strike out a bit of a higher clip at 22.9% but the power upside and the ability to draw walks consistently helps offset the swing and misses. McAdoo played most of his time for Bradenton last season at left field but also spent considerable time at second base.
Projected level to start 2024: Look for McAdoo to start at Bradenton to start the 2024 season but he could quickly move through the Pirates system and be among the first prospects from the Pirates’ 2023 draft class not named Paul Skenes to make his major league debut.
Outfielder Joe Perez
The oldest member of this list at age 23, Joe Perez is a former second-round draft pick of the Astros but was designated for assignment last August when the Astros acquired Justin Verlander from the Mets. Unfortunately for Perez, injuries have held him back from reaching his potential, ultimately leading to him becoming a free agent last summer before signing with the Pirates.
Despite the injuries, Perez has consistently put together quality seasons in the minors. He’s a career .272/.344/.445 hitter across 364 games and over 1500 career plate appearances. This past season, however, Perez had one of his more impressive seasons for both Triple-A Sugar Land (Houston), Double-A Altoona, and Triple-A Indianapolis.
Over 121 games played, the most of his five-year minor league career, Perez hit .272/.359/.452 with 20 home runs and 35 total extra-base hits to go along with 72 RBI and 74 runs scored. His 20 home runs were a career-high for the former top prospect. The 6-foot-1 infielder also has a good eye, working 57 walks this season, though he will strike out his fair share as well, racking up 133 strikeouts last season. One could call his 2023 season a breakout season and there would be no argument but with Perez looking to be finally healthy, his 2023 season could be one that was just scratching the surface.
Projected level to start 2024: Perez will likely start the 2023 season at AAA where he played the majority of last season, playing 96 of his 121 games with Sugar Land and Indianapolis.
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