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Surging teenaged Pirates prospect is validating the hype after aggressive promotion

ByBaron Dionis|
The scoreboard at LECOM Park displays a screen from the ABS challenge system, indicating that a called strike was actually a ball, 1.4” below the strick zone. Major League Baseball is testing an Automated Ball-Stike (ABS) challenge system at select spring training parks. The system allows players to challenge a limited number of ball/stike calls during a game. Calls can be overturned if the pitch tracking technology shows an umpire got a call wrong.
The scoreboard at LECOM Park displays a screen from the ABS challenge system, indicating that a called strike was actually a ball, 1.4” below the strick zone. Major League Baseball is testing an Automated Ball-Stike (ABS) challenge system at select spring training parks. The system allows players to challenge a limited number of ball/stike calls during a game. Calls can be overturned if the pitch tracking technology shows an umpire got a call wrong. | Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The past international signing periods have been exciting for the Pirates, with Pittsburgh landing a handful of the top prospects. Recently in the 2024 cycle, Pittsburgh landed a highly touted prospect in Edward Florentino from the Dominican Republic. Still just 18 years old, the organization has been aggressive with Florentino, and their plan is working, as he is lighting up Low-A within his first nine games.

Florentino started the season in the FCL and was outstanding, posting a 191 wRC+ with six home runs and a 1.085 OPS. He definitely deserved the promotion to Bradenton, and now that he has arrived, he is dominating a new level of pitching, too, slugging a home run and four doubles in his first nine games. That impressive first look in Low-A is justifying the bold move.

The promotion was only considered a risky move because of his young age and the lack of recognition he's gotten, but the talent is evident.

Young Pirates prosepct Edward Florentino is looking like a future star and is living up to the hype following Low-A debut.

FanGraphs has him rated as the ninth-best prospect in the organization, while MLB Pipeline and Baseball America don't even have him in the top 20. These other networks appear to be hesitant on crowning the young slugger because of his age. He has yet to surpass 100 games played in his professional career, so it was fair to wait to jump the gun on him. If he keeps this up, the other networks may move Florentino up in the rankings.

He has shown he has all the tools, sporting phenomenal power while adding 10 stolen bases on the year, walking at a high 13.5% rate, and striking out at a 20.9% clip. The strikeouts have risen in Low-A, but it's too small of a sample size to exactly call it a major climb, as his percentage sits at 25.7% at the level.

It is bold to see the Pirates being aggressive on a young prospect like Florentino. Ben Cherington has always been slow with promotions throughout his Pirates tenure. Florentino was a different gamble for him, though, and it is suddenly working. FanGraphs bought the hype with the young teenager, really acknowledging his power upside in their rankings; they marked his pop as a 60-grade potential tool on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.

Florentino has a very bright future and he is living up to the hype already. At 18 years old, the first baseman and outfielder has a lot of room to grow, and the Pirates' decision to get him to Bradenton is starting to look like a good one already.

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