2022 Pirates draft season recap: Who stepped up in first pro season?

A look back at the 2022 Pirates draft class first full year in pro ball.

The Pittsburgh Pirates took a different approach with their 2022 draft class as opposed to the year prior when they saved with their top pick to load up on prep players.

This time around, they went over-slot with their first pick and, in total, only selected three prep players, signing two of them.

Instead, they went college-heavy, especially on the pitching side of things, with only seven of their 21 selections position hitters.

A few got a taste of professional ball after being drafted, but the 2023 season was their first full year; here’s a look back at how they did.

The top pick

Including the 2023 draft, the Pirates have used three of their four top picks on college players under Ben Cherington, with Termarr Johnson being the only exception.

Termarr got some pretty hefty expectations put on him immediately by some draft outlets, calling him one of the best prep-hitting prospects to go pro in recent history.

He showed some of that approach in his brief 14-game stint with the Marauders at the end of the 2022 season, walking nearly 20% of his plate appearances.

Photo Credit: WTM

A hamstring injury slowed his start this past season, and it took him a bit to get going. He also showed a little more swing-and-miss than some believed, but in the end, he was one of four teenagers in the minors to draw 100 walks.

He also hit 18 home runs between Bradenton and Greensboro, showing potentially plus power in a smaller frame. Johnson’s tracked 95th percentile exit velocity was in the range of what Henry Davis’ was with Indianapolis.

The other prep kid

Of the players they signed, only two came from the prep ranks, with left-handed pitcher Michael Kennedy being the other opposite Termarr.

With a late birthday, Kennedy played the entire 2023 season at 18 years old. It didn’t matter, as he was one of the best pitchers in the Florida Complex League, earning himself a two-game cameo with Bradenton at the year of the year.

He had a control issue (25 walks in 46.2 innings) but still struck out 33% of the batters he faced overall.

Two released

Just one full season in, the Pirates have moved on from two of their picks that year - Tanner Tredaway and Miguel Fulengcio.

The team’s 10th-round pick out of Oklahoma, Tredaway never could find his footing and was already in a crowded lower-level outfield picture. In 45 career games between the FCL and Bradenton, he slashed just .153/.317/.191.

Fulgencio started as a running back on Oklahoma State, eventually ending up as a junior college as a reliever. He posted an ERA of 6.75 while walking as many hitters as he did strike out (22) in 28 innings pitched with Bradenton.

College hitters

Taken in the third round out of Notre Dame, Jack Brannigan was announced as a two-way player, as he worked as a reliever in college. He was given the opportunity to pitch as well but passed.

He has some exciting tools and fell a home run short of a 20/20 season. He’ll have to cut back on the home runs to take the next step as a prospect.

Drafted out of Georiga Tech, Tres Gonzalez had an advanced hit tool but didn’t hit for much power in college, which has transferred to pro ball. He put up a wRC+ of 129 across two levels in 2023, which included nine home runs and 22 doubles.

Nick Cimillo was drafted out of Rutgers as a catcher and logged a few innings behind the plate after being picked up before moving to first base full-time in 2023. He tore the cover off the ball in Bradenton before hitting a wall in Greensboro.

Another player who hit and pitched in college, Josiah Sightler, was drafted in the 15th round out of South Carolina. Surgery kept him off the mound his last year on campus, but the power in the batter’s box started to get him recognized. He slugged 13 home runs in just 264 plate appearances last year but showed some concerning signs once he hit Greensboro.

College starters

Thomas Harrington was the follow-up pick to Termarr and has already established himself as one of the better pitching prospects in a very deep Pirates’ organization.

He began the year in Bradenton to adjust to pro ball before being let loose in Greensboro. Harrington tied with Jared Jones for the organization lead in strikeouts.

After missing most of the college season, Hunter Barco got a late start to the 2023 campaign. He was eased back in between the FCL and Bradenton, but outside of one blowup game, he was solid throughout.

Derek Diamond had a tough end to his college career, getting bumped from the rotation down the stretch, so the Pirates were hoping they could get him back to form as a low-risk draft pick.

He was solid throughout the season, topping 100 innings pitched and winning 10 games, but put up a 6.00 ERA in Greensboro.

Lefty Dominic Perachi tossed 90.2 innings out of the Bradenton rotation, posting a 5-0 record. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he mixed in five pitches on the way to striking out 96 batters.

JP Massey was the system star in the first month, mowing down Bradenton hitters along the way to a promotion to Bradenton and a spot in the Future’s Game during All-Star weekend.

The wheels finally came off towards the end of the year, and the control issues that plagued him in college resurfaced. On his game, he had a curveball that got nearly a 60% whiff rate in Bradenton.

Bullpen arms

Cy Nielson and Mike Walsh were the first pitchers to see affiliate ball at the end of the 2022 season. Walsh pitched in four games before needing season-ending surgery, with Nielson a key piece in the Greensboro bullpen.

Thanks to a fastball that picked up a near 40% whiff rate, Julian Bosnic was mentioned in a Baseball America article. He paired that with a big looping curveball to strike out 76 batters in 57 innings pitched.

Jaycob Deese pitched 68 innings, mostly out of the Greensboro bullpen, but made three early-season starts. He showed good control but didn’t strike out much and put up a 5.29 ERA.

Elijah Birdsong saved eight games for the Marauders but put up an ERA of over seven while walking 12.7% of the batters he faced.

The final pick of the draft for the Pirates, Joshua Loeschorn, put up a decent year in the bullpen for Bradenton and Greensboro. He used a big heavy sinker that averaged 17.5” of horizontal break (in Bradenton) and a slider with a miss rate of nearly 50%.