Two potential Wake Forest pitching prospects who should be on the Pirates’ draft rada

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A few weeks ago, we looked at two Louisiana State University pitchers who should be on the Pittsburgh Pirates' draft radar. Last year, the Bucs took Paul Skenes with the first overall pick and signed him to a record-setting signing bonus. But one of the other best college teams is Wake Forest. LSU and Wake Forest faced off in the College World Series semifinals last season, with Skenes facing off against fellow first-round pick Rhett Lowder. Lowder was taken by the Cincinnati Reds, setting up potential showdowns in the future between the two former college aces. Although Skenes is in Triple-A and Lowder is still just in High-A.

Wake Forrest is still a powerhouse in college baseball this year. The ACC team has a lot of high-end talent, some of which could be on the board when the Pirates are on the clock. If the Pirates want to go with some arms early into the draft, they could definitely take one of Wake Forest's multiple top arms who project to go within the first three rounds of this year's draft. After looking at two LSU arms for the Pirates to keep tabs on, let's now look at two Wake Forest pitchers for the Bucs to show some interest in.

Potential Pirates Target: Josh Hartle

If there's one thing that Ben Cherington loves, it's soft-tossing left-handed pitchers. From signing Jose Quintana and Martin Perez to drafting Anthony Solometo and Michael Kennedy, Cherington has a 'type', per se. If Josh Hartle is still on the board during the Pirates' pick in the competitive balance round or in the second round, I could 100% see the Pirates take him as another talented lefty in the organization.

After a strong 2023 season, Hartle has struggled thus far into 2024. He has only pitched 38.1 innings but has a 6.34 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Hartle has also been home run prone, allowing 1.64 home runs per nine innings on average. His 22.8% strikeout rate is also a downgrade from last season's 33.4% K%. On the plus side, he's still limiting walks with a 7.2% walk rate.

Hartle does not use velocity to overpower batters. His fastball sits in the 90-92 MPH range and tops out at 94. According to Keith Law, he's leaned more into using his cutter this year, a pitch that has shown above-average potential, but his best-breaking offering is his slider. His change-up gives him a fourth average pitch, and according to Joe Doyle of Future Star Series, he has tinkered around with a curveball. He has a chance to have five average or better offerings to work off of.

Hartle has an easy, repeatable delivery and throws a ton of strikes. It's a very simple motion, though he lacks significant deception. Still, he locates his stuff very well. Hartle stands at 6'5"and 210 pounds, so there's definitely a chance he sees a slight uptick in velocity. He'll likely never be throwing fastballs like Paul Skenes or Jared Jones, but maybe sitting closer to 92-94 MPH in the future isn't out of the question.

If there was someone who fits the Ben Cherington mold to a T in this year's draft, it's Josh Hartle. A soft-tossing left-hander whose best weapon is his control is something Cherington loves. Hartle is ranked as a top 30 draft prospect by Baseball America and The Athletic, so it's possible he falls far enough to still be available when the Pirates are selecting at #37. However, with the way he's been pitching, he might fall even further to the Pirates in the second round with the 47th pick.

Potential Pirates Target: Michael Massey

Michael Massey (not to be confused with the Kansas City Royals infielder of the same name) is one of the other multiple highly talented pitchers from Wake Forest's pitching factory. Massey transferred from Tulane to Wake Forest after his freshman season and has been a major cog in their pitching staff for two years now.

Massey joined Wake Forest's rotation after mostly pitching out of the bullpen in a long relief role in 2023 and excelling. The right-hander is performing even better than last year with a 1.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 2.69 K:BB ratio through 24 innings of work. Walks have given Massey some trouble this year with a 12.9% BB%, but he has counteracted that with a K% of 34.7%, and posted a HR/9 of 0.75.

Massey has an elite fastball/slider combo. He typically sits mid-90s with excellent ride through the strike zone. His slider is another pitch with plus potential. It's a low-80s breaking offering that tunnels his fastball extremely well but with late break. However, how his change-up develops will decide his long-term future in pro baseball, whether that be as a starting pitcher or a reliever.

Massey's motion on the mound is quick and deceptive. He keeps an extremely short arm with a late release point, which makes his fastball, an offering with already good attributes, play up even more. Massey stands at a strongly built 6'5", 230 pounds, giving him the potential for good durability in the long term.

While his third pitch needs some refining, Massey is definitely a potential long-term starting pitcher. At worst, he'll end up in the bullpen long term where his slider and fastball will play up even more. But any team that drafts Massey will give him every chance to start until he proves otherwise. Maybe that team could be the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Two potential Wake Forest pitching prospects who should be on the Pirates’ draft radar

Potential Pirates Target: Josh Hartle

Potential Pirates Target: Michael Massey

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