The pitching is starting to translate at the Major League level, as Paul Skenes and Jared Jones were terrific in 2024. Next in line are Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft. Both should see time in Pittsburgh in 2024.
The bats have been the problem. Nick Yorke and Billy Cook should help next season in a complimentary manner. Terrmar Johnson likely needs another season in the minors but has the skills to be an impact player. After that, there are a lot of question marks.
I believe the Pirates have the talent to continue to improve. However, do they have enough to push them over the playoff hurdle? I’m not sure.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Bubba Chandler
- Biggest Mover: Jhonny Severino
- Biggest Disappointment: Anthony Solometo
- Emerging Prospect: Yordanny De Los Santos
1. Bubba Chandler (RHP)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2024-25 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 SP
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: There is a top-of-the-rotation starter brewing.
Bubba Chandler is yet another hard-throwing pitcher in the Pirates’ minor leagues, and you can easily throw a number two starter ceiling. He has a highly athletic delivery with a four-pitch arsenal. He can run his fastball up to 98 MPH with what looks like a 70-grade change-up. He worked on his slider over the winter, which is paying dividends. The control is not yet consistent, but with his athleticism, it’s reasonable to project at least average control. Again, it’s everything you look for in a top-of-the-rotation arm.
2. Konnor Griffin (OF, #9)
- Highest Level: DNP ETA: 2027-28 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 OF with extreme risk
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s tooled up with concerns about how much he will hit.
Konnor Griffin is one of the most tooled-up players in the entire 2024. He has 70-grade raw, 70-grade speed, and a plus arm with great actions at shortstop. What I didn’t mention is how much he will hit. That appears to be Griffin’s concern.
Unlike Bryce Rainer, who grew up in a privileged environment, Griffin did not. He grew up in Mississippi, and the history of kids excelling from one of the poorest states in the country is not good. They don’t have the same opportunities as other kids who can travel to all the showcases to compete against better players. Can he overcome that? Sure, but tools-wise, he might be the top player in this draft. But, baseball-wise, he’s behind.
I still like him, and the upside is a number two outfielder. Just know the risks.
3. Termarr Johnson (2B)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 2B
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s a solid prospect with 10 to 15 home run pop who should hit if he gets more aggressive at the plate.
As he did in 2023, Termarr Johnson got more comfortable in the batter’s box as the season progressed and started making better contact. However, the contact quality is poor, and his in-zone contact remains a problem. This usually points to bat speed problems, which have always been a concern for the scouts.
He does walk a lot, likely too much, as he’s putting himself into a poor hitter count. If he were to become more aggressive, it would help, but I don’t see a star, but more a complimentary player. The fantasy upside is a middle infielder (maybe more) with 10 to 15 home run pop and speed early in his career. I still think he hits, but he needs to get more aggressive at the plate.
4. Braxton Ashcraft (RHP)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 50 SP
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s athletic and throws strikes with an intriguing arsenal.
Braxton Ashcraft has had multiple bouts of arm issues, including TJS in 2021. He finally looks healthy and has excellent control with an intriguing arsenal. His fastball is up to 98 MPH with a double-plus curveball and a change-up that is starting to get some whiffs. There’s a lot to like here, and he’s a pitcher that many fantasy managers have forgotten about. Translation: get him!
5. Nick Yorke (2B)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 2B
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s a contact-oriented hitter with a little bit of power and speed.
Nick Yorke has returned to the player he was during his impressive 2021 debut. He’s making great swing decisions, and his contact rates have improved. He’s a line-drive hitter who should hit a lot of doubles with 8 to 12 future home run power. He is an above-average runner with excellent instincts on the basepaths that should allow him to steal 12 to 15 bases annually. His arm will limit him to second base, so he’ll need to continue to hit to see full-time at-bats at the highest level. I think he will.
He was blocked in Boston, but now, with the Pirates, I like his chances of seeing consistent playing time as early as 2025.
6. Thomas Harrington (RHP)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 SP with upside
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He throws strikes with an expansive arsenal but without a true “plus pitch.
Thomas Harrington was the Pirates’ Supplemental first-round pick in 2022. He doesn’t throw hard, with his fastball sitting 92 to 93 MPH and touching higher. But he throws strikes, locating his pitches well. His walk rate (1.5 BB/9) is fourth in all the minor leagues for pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings.
I wish he had a true “plus” pitch, but he doesn’t. His fastball is solid, and his slider and cutter are as well. The change-up still lags, but he’ll be effective by the sum of the parts and not one individual part. I’ve put his ceiling as a number four starter, but he could be more if a pitch takes a step up, including his change-up.
7. Mitch Jebb (SS/2B)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Middle Infielder
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s a high-contact hitter who got things going in the second half.
Mitch Jebb was the Pirates’ second-round pick in 2023. He was a contact hitter in college, and in his professional debut, he only struck out 11 times in 153 plate appearances. After a slow start in 2024, he started to find his sea legs by June, showing similar contact skills to those in college and 2023. He’s also ran wild, stealing 43 of 51 stolen base attempts. He needs to get stronger, but the upside is still a high OBP player with 20+ stolen bases and 5 to 10 home runs.
8. Jack Brannigan (2B/SS/3B)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 20 3B/2B
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He showed power and speed but with too many strikeouts.
Jack Brannigan was the Pirates’ third-round pick in 2022 and continued to show solid speed and power production in 2024. It’s average exit velo, but he hit everything in the air, and therein lies the reason for his power. It’s also likely why he struck out at a 26% rate. Leverage is a double-edged sword. A lot will depend on how well he plays in Double-A. I fear the power will fall, and the strikeouts will increase. He’s a borderline full-time regular for me.
9. Keiner Delgado (2B/SS)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Middle Infielder with upside
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s a plus runner with more power than you think, but he showed more swing and miss in his bat after facing better competition.
Keiner Delgado was among the best players on the Yankees’ FCL prospect-studded team in 2023. Maybe the Yankees front office missed the games where he hit everything in sight and stole 36 bases, but they traded him to Pittsburgh for JT Brubaker.
He’s a switch hitter with double-plus speed, a feel to hit, and more power than you think a 5-foot-7 kid could produce. He’s shown more chase in his game as he’s faced better pitching, which has led to more strikeouts than he showed in 2023.
10. Lonnie White Jr. (OF)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 50 OF with upside if he can hit enough contact.
- Last Updated: 10/15/2024
- Tools Summary: He is a toolsy outfielder with some concern about how much contact he will make.
Lonnie White started to tease us at the end of 2023 with his power and speed when he hit eight home runs and stole 12 bases in 44 games in Low-A. The Pirates were impressed enough with his performance to start him in High-A to begin the 2024 season, and he’s showing even more power. However, it came with an unacceptable strikeout rate (34.4%), and that will have to change if he is to succeed at the highest level. The power and speed appear real for now, which should be enough to excite fantasy managers.
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