By David Finoli
Truth be told, my favorite time of the year is Opening Day, but if we are talking off-season, then seeing the new prospect rankings would be the thing I look forward to. As a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, sometimes it’s the only thing you can look forward to.
Things are different under the Ben Cherington regime, though. Unlike the Huntington tenure, players, especially pitchers, are being developed and there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel thanks to a couple solid drafts and various trades for prospects that seem to have a future with the organization. At this point, the system may lack a potential superstar but I have never seen such depth, and to me, the depth is something that is most important. To start out, let’s look at where the Pirates stand in reference to the major top 100 prospect lists that have been circulating.
MLB.com
Rank | Name | POS |
26 | Temarr Johnson | 2B |
55 | Endy Rodriguez | C |
57 | Henry Davis | C |
60 | Quinn Priester | P |
The Athletic
Rank | Name | POS |
18 | Temarr Johnson | 2B |
30 | Henry Davis | C |
34 | Endy Rodriguez | C |
64 | Quinn Priester | P |
100 | Bubba Chandler | DH/P |
Baseball America
Rank | Name | POS |
23 | Endy Rodriguez | C |
49 | Temarr Johnson | 2B |
73 | Henry Davis | C |
74 | Luis Ortiz | P |
Baseball Prospectus
Rank | Name | POS |
31 | Temarr Johnson | 2B |
46 | Henry Davis | C |
55 | Endy Rodriguez | C |
ESPN
Rank | Name | POS |
24 | Temarr Johnson | 2B |
42 | Endy Rodriguez | C |
68 | Henry Davis | C |
When it comes to overall ranking of the system, the Bucs finished sixth in the Athletic and ninth in ESPN. What hurt them in both is what was stated earlier, a lack of a true superstar candidate. Although, if you believe what the scouts say about Johnson, one of the best high school hitting prospects in a decade, he potentially could become that guy. They both talk up the depth of the system, some of which we saw last year appearing in Roansy Contreras and Oneill Cruz. Toward the middle of the season, we could see some major pieces in the franchises future appear at PNC Park, namely in Priester and Rodriguez, with potentially more as the season goes on.
As far as the above rankings go, my thought is Rodriguez earned a spot in the 20s. His defense brings him down in some of these and is considered average at best, but he exceeded all expectations with his power and offensive prowess and was successful at every level he played at last year. This happened to be every level but the majors (although he only had 23 AAA at bats).
Johnson is rated highly due to his potential, but in my eyes, it’s tough to put someone in the teens who really hasn’t played above the high school level in his career. Davis spent quite a bit of time on the DL last year after fracturing his left wrist which has stunted his development. Defensively, he has a strong arm, but some question his framing ability, an ability which will become unimportant when the majors make the switch to automated umpires. Offensive is his strength, and it will be interesting to see whether he or Rodriguez will have to switch positions should they both live up to their offensive potential.
Priester and Ortiz each make the rankings with Priester in my eyes being more of a sure thing as a number two or three starter, but Ortiz is the wild child here. He can hit triple digits with his fastball and has a very effective swing-and-miss slider. He hasn’t mastered control yet and does tend to give up quite a few homers, so the ceiling could be high, but it is not there, yet.
Bubba Chandler was drafted as a potential everyday player/pitcher but hasn’t shown that he can hit at an effective level as his pitching has far out shown his offensive at this point in his career.
POTENTIAL BREAKTHROUGH TOP 100 CANDIDATES
Nick Gonzales-2B - Last year, he was in every top 100 list, sometimes in the top half. After missing two months due to plantar fasciitis, he has dropped out of every ranking. He was considered one of the best natural hitters in the minors in 2021, but after his injury plagued the 2022 season, they now question whether he can hit off-speed pitches or not. He did rebound at Altoona after a sluggish start with a .812 OPS and had a solid .851 OPS in the Arizona Fall League. I think with a full, healthy season, hopefully, he can get back on track and become the .300 hitter that was originally projected.
Anthony Solometo-LHP - Coming out of high school in the 2021 draft, Solometo had a solid season at Bradenton and was able to maintain his fastball velocity between 94-95 MPH. He was 5-1 for the Marauders with a 2.64 ERA and sparkling 1.05 WHIP, allowing only 31 hits in 47 2/3 innings. His walks were a tad high a 3.6 per nine innings but struck out 51 batters. He was particularly tough on left-handed batters, and what I liked most is he got better as the year went on, saving his best for August and September with a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings and a 0.84 WHIP. He should start the year in Greensboro and hopefully, will continue to progress. He's a potential number two starter down the
road.