Ranking the 10 most valuable young players in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization

The Pittsburgh Pirates has some of baseball's youngest stars in the game, but struggle to build a winning team around them. They have multiple pieces of the future that could bring the organization success, but they need to execute better around them.

Here are the top 10 most valuable young players in the Pirates organization. The criteria here is that a "young player" is primarily classified below the age of 25, so the list includes mainly prospects - with a couple of big leaguers, of course.

Ranking the Pittsburgh Pirates' top 10 most valuable young players.

Jared Jones is an honorable mention because of his injury, as his value for both this season and 2026 have dropped to a depressing low point.

10. Mike Burrows

Mike Burrows comes in at 10th on this list, as he's emerged as one of the best starters in Triple-A this season, alongside four other prospects on this list. He is a right-hander who has the stuff to become a legitimate arm for the Pirates and could be utilized in either a rotation or bullpen role.

His stats to open up 2025 have been outstanding, posting a 2.51 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and an 11.41 K/9 at the Triple-A level. These numbers greatly boost his future value, and got him a look in Pittsburgh as a starter this week.

His slider is actually one of the better pitches in the organization. In his last start, he saw his average vertical break on his slider go up 10 inches from last year. Last year it averaged 29 inches, and now it's up to 39 inches. Burrows' return to the Pirates is finally here and it was earned following this hot start.

9. Braxton Ashcraft

Braxton Ashcraft is an interesting one here, as he has not pitched much in his professional career, but he is still quite valuable to the organization with the stuff that he brings. Ashcraft has dealt with a lot of injuries in his career, but he is healthy now and has been a starter in the Indianapolis rotation.

Ashcraft is off to a slow start in 2025 with a 5.03 ERA, yet brings a decent 4.13 FIP to the table that hints at some upcoming correction. With his injury history, he projects more as a reliever, and his stuff could eventually peg him for a high-leverage role. He sports a mid-90s fastball that zips in even higher sometimes, alongside two great breaking balls and a revamped changeup.

He is quite valuable to the organization, and that value could increase with a role change. He is on the 40-man roster and his debut is likely to happen in 2025.

8. Mitch Jebb

The Pirates organization lacks overall offensive pieces from top to bottom. Although there are a few young pieces who rank above Mitch Jebb, he is still considered a very valuable piece to the future in Pittsburgh. The draft pick selected after Paul Skenes in 2023 has really emerged this season, and is displaying tools that could get him into the big leagues.

Jebb is batting .323 with an .808 OPS in Double-A. His strikeout rate is slightly higher than his walk rate, at 13.8% to 13.2%. That plate discipline is very impressive for the young utilityman, and he has also stolen 16 bases to go with his prowess with the bat. He is not just a slap hitter either, picking up five doubles and two triples. Not really known for his power, he will run into a couple home runs from time to time, too, picking up six in 2024.

Jebb is projected to be a big piece to the Pirates' future, but the position is unknown yet. He plays center field and the middle infield, something that is somewhat jammed right now. There are plenty of possibilities, but if he keeps hitting the way that he has, he will find a spot somewhere.

7. Thomas Harrington

Thomas Harrington is another very valuable pitcher in Triple-A right now. Harrington has gotten to make his major league debut this season and struggled. He is also not doing too hot in Indianapolis, but hope is not lost for the very talented right-hander.

Harrington has some of the best command in the organization, which has helped him move up so fast through just two professional seasons. He's played in two different levels every year of his career. These struggles from Harrington have been a bit uncharacteristic, with a high walk rate of 7.8% and an opposing batting average of .277. Those numbers looked even worse during his cameo in the majors.

Despite the slow start, he is still very valuable to the organization. He will get his chance in Pittsburgh again this season, but to get back up, his ERA of 5.59 needs to drop. Harrington saw time with the Pirates as a starter and reliever. It is uncertain what is role will occupy long-term with how strong this pitching staff is. His talent should get him an eventual spot, regardless of that role.

6. Nick Yorke

Nick Yorke is quietly one of more underrated prospects in baseball, and has gotten some remarkable recognition from Keith Law. Coming over from the Red Sox in exchange for Quinn Priester, the young middle infield prospect has great hit tools. He displayed them in his short stint with Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in 2024, but the Pirates decided to bring in Adam Frazier instead of letting Yorke play in the big leagues this season.

Yorke is off to a slow start to 2025, but he has been heating up. On the season now, Yorke is batting .254 with three home runs and seven stolen bases. His OPS is at .671 and his wRC+ sits at 82. Not outstanding by any means, but he is turning a corner in May, batting .304 with two homers in the month thus far.

He has a lot of offensive upside, and he displayed that last season in Triple-A. In just 40 games with Indianapolis, he batted .355 with an OPS of .938. He belted 17 doubles and two home runs, while driving in 26 runs. There is a lot to like here with Yorke, and it is unfortunate that he is not in Pittsburgh right now. His time should come soon, with Frazier and Isiah Kiner-Falefa on one-year deals.

5. Termarr Johnson

Termarr Johnson is heating up at the plate in Double-A, and could be nearing a promotion himself to Triple-A. The 2022 first-rounder has been very impressive at the plate considering he's just 20 years old. He consistently has produced high walk rates to go with decent strikeout rates. His plate discpline is very advanced, and he adds power at second base.

So far to begin this season, Johnson is batting .271 with five home runs and seven stolen bases. He adds an .803 OPS with a 135 wRC+. His walk rate is up to 14.1% and his strikeout rate is down to just 16.7%.

Even while Nick Gonzales appears to be the long-term answer at second base, there is still time to figure out a way to get both of these two middle infielders in the Pirates' lineup. Johnson may make his MLB Debut this season, given his hot start to the campaign. 2026 will definitely be the year where he gets a significant chance in the big leagues, and who knows? With his tools, he could be a possible Rookie of the Year candidate.

4. Hunter Barco

Hunter Barco has emerged as the Pirates' top southpaw prospect and has been making history, too. He went on a scoreless streak that broke a record for the Altoona Curve, which ended in his next start - up with Indianapolis. He just landed on the injured list, but thankfully he should be back soon, only suffering a mild muscle strain in his shoulder. He has already begun throwing again.

This hot start has also put him into MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects, too. On the season, across two affiliates, Barco has posted an 0.89 ERA with a 2.46 FIP and an 11.87 K/9. Opponents are batting .139 against him, and he is walking hitters at an 11% clip to create a WHIP of 0.89.

His numbers are excellent, and he has shown signs of great stuff on the mound. Once he is healthy and he finds himself in another groove, his debut could also happen this season. The majority of the Pirates' pitching prospects are right-handed, and with Andrew Heaney likely to be dealt this deadline, that southpaw swap could work out perfectly.

3. Bubba Chandler

Bubba Chandler's debut is the most anticipated out of any prospect in this organization. He probably should have made the Opening Day rotation over Carmen Mlodzinski, but instead he is in Triple-A and pitching very well. The NL Rookie of the Year favorite for 2025 is the highest-ranked pitching prospect in baseball right now. Chandler has also became the highest-ranked Pirates prospect in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects list of all time.

In Triple-A this season, Chandler has generated a 2.17 ERA with a 2.85 FIP and a 13.50 K/9. His WHIP is up to 1.13, coming from an opposing batting average of .197 and a 10.5% walk rate. He has dominated his opponents in Indianapolis, but he remains in the minors so the Pirates can save a year of service on him.

The date to wait to save a service year has already passed, so the Pirates are really just trying to limit his innings so he cannot win the Rookie of the Year. If he wins, then he qualifies for a year of service, regardless of his number starts in the big leagues. That happened to Skenes last season, and Pittsburgh does not want to miss out on the extra year two seasons in a row. They may be depriving the team of an extra draft pick in the process, however.

2. Konnor Griffin

Konnor Griffin is off to a fantastic start to his professional career in Low-A. At just 19 years old, he looks like the most valuable prospect to the organization. He and Chandler are both a toss up for top prospect, but given Griffin is a five-tool player in the field, he means more to the organization. His hot start in Bradenton could earn him a promotion very soon.

To begin his career, Griffin is batting .315 with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases. He also adds an .885 OPS and a wRC+ of 140. One issue that is standing out is a 27.4% strikeout rate and a low 3.7% walk rate. He evidently has all the tools to be successful, but if he continues to strike out at a high rate, that could make his development very slow.

Griffin means so much to the organization, even after just 35 games played. His talent is incredible, and the upside he brings is superstar material. The Pirates are very lucky to have landed him in the 2024 draft.

1. Paul Skenes

To conclude this list is Paul Skenes, one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Even while he is no longer a prospect, he is still very young and obviously the most valuable player in Pittsburgh. All this trade talk about him has been shut down by Ben Cherington. Now, let's see if the Pirates can back up all their talk and build a team around him that can compete. He is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of pitcher to this organization, and if they cannot get him to the playoffs, then it would be a complete wasted opportunity.

To begin 2025, Skenes has continued to dominate, but the offense has not given him much help, resulting in five losses. Nonetheless, he has kept the team in games with a strong 2.44 ERA with a 2.74 FIP and an 8.90 K/9. Opponents are batting .190 against him and his walk rate is down to 6.6% to create a 0.94 WHIP.

The Pirates are set up with one of the strongest rotations in baseabll, courtesy of Skenes headlining it. At the moment he is cheap, but the Pirates won't have him like that for long. It is very unlikely that they can retain him, given how much he'll cost when he hits free agency, so they must get to the postseason while they have him at some point.