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Underrated 20-and-under prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system

The Pirates have a multitude of young prospects who deserve some recognition.

ByNoah Wright|
Jun 20, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Draft prospect Luke Scherrer during a high school baseball game at the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jun 20, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Draft prospect Luke Scherrer during a high school baseball game at the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Samuel Escudero

The Pirates acquired Samuel Escudero in 2021 for Troy Stokes Jr., an outfielder who officially retired from the game in early 2024 (per a personal Instagram post).

Since then, all the catching prospect has done is hit and show off fantastic plate discipline. Escudero will enter his age-21 campaign next year, and after playing the last four seasons at the Dominican Summer League, it's time to see if he can continue to hit across a full season.

This year, Escudero batted .311/.410/.479 through 145 plate appearances. During that time, he walked (13.8%) more often than he struck out (10.3%). This marks the third season in a row he has had a walk rate that either matches or is greater than his strikeout rate. Escuerdo hit three home runs with a .168 isolated slugging percentage as well. To wrap things up, he had a .432 wOBA and 137 wRC+.

All Escuerdo has done thus far is hit. He has an .824 OPS, .408 wOBA, and 126 wRC+ dating back to the start of 2022. He has walked at a 14.2% rate while striking out just 12.4% of the time. He can play both catcher and first base. Will he continue to do so when he gets moved to a full-season level? Possibly, but the results thus far deserve some recognition. 

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