2023 draft picks making debuts in 2024
Four players from the 2023 draft class have yet to make their official 'debut'.
With a couple of months left in the season after the MLB Draft, it’s common to see some recent picks make their pro debut to close the year.
We saw first-overall pick Paul Skenes make his professional debut, starting a couple of games between three levels. Many players from the 2023 draft class have already made their professional debut, either with the Bradenton Marauders or in the Complex League.
Of the 20 players the Pirates signed, 16 got their feet wet in pro ball last year, leaving four that have yet to make their official ‘debut.’
Here’s a look at who will be looking to make their pro debut in 2024 and a small outlook on them.
Zander Mueth
The Pirates' big over-slot prep pitcher for the draft, Mueth pitched some during Instructionals but never made his official debut.
Standing at 6’6”, Mueth throws from a lower arm slot, a trend the Pirates seem to be trending heavily towards, and gets an insane run on his fastball that has also gotten up to 97 mph during Intructionals.
The raw stuff is off the charts, but Mueth may need the entire year in the Complex League to work on his control.
He’d be one of the top pitching prospects in many systems, but with the Pirates’ abundance of top-end arms, he’ll take a bit of a back seat. Mueth may need to simmer at the beginning of his career, but once he takes off, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Austin Strickland
One of two pitchers from Kentucky the Pirates drafted in 2023, Strickland was the team’s eighth-round pick.
He pitched mainly as a reliever at Kentucky, with just six starts in 54 career appearances. The base numbers are a little less than ideal (7-7 record, 5.28 ERA), but he did strike out 26.8% of the batters he faced while pitching mostly in the SEC and kept the walk rate under 10% (9%).
Strickland also struck out 31 batters in 26.2 innings pitched (27.6%) while playing in the Cape Cod League in 2022.
Future Star Series mentions Strickland having a fastball in the mid-90s with late life in the zone to go along with a slider and circle change-up.
He could get a chance to start next year, staying back in Bradenton to get work in the rotation, or the Pirates could let him loose in the bullpen and see if they could get a few ticks higher with the fastball.
Hunter Furtado
With three of the best players in the 2023 draft coming from the SEC, the Pirates made good use of their time scouting there, also drafting several pitchers from the conference.
Furtado is another reliever taken from the SEC who didn’t exactly have the best career number-wise, but there was enough there for the Pirates to take him in the sixth round.
Heading back to Future Star Series, they said his slider has ‘significant depth and sweep’ and is a ‘real weapon against left-handed hitters.’ He also throws in the mid-90s but has below-average command.
Khristian Curtis
Injuries limited his playing time in college, and the biggest sample size we got of him wasn’t great in Arizona State, but almost anyone who has watched him pitch has had good things to say about his stuff.
He could have gone back to college to show what he could do another year removed from some arm issues, but the Pirates gave him an over-slot deal to sign as a 12th-round pick.
Curtis throws both a four-seam fastball that has gotten up to 20” of Inverted Vertical Break (IVB) and a two-seamer/sinker that has gotten upwards of 18” Horizontal Break (HB) to it.
He showed excellent control with the breaking ball during Instrucs, throwing it against lefties and righties.
Quite a few draft outlets were very high on Curtis, with FSS (163), Pipeline (197), and Baseball America (126) all having him in their Top 200.
He seems like a strong candidate to take the JP Massey/Thomas Harrington route from last year and spend the first couple of weeks in Bradenton getting used to pro ball while following a more college baseball pitching schedule.
Didn't really like the draft but I like most of the players they took. Several of the college arms can move fairly quick as relievers, with the chance of starting if their control/command improves. I saw Strickland pitch in the SEC tournament and he looked pretty good (I think he started or came in relief early). Curtis might have the best potential as a starter if his health concerns are behind him. Furtado is a wild card, if he ever gets some control he could be nasty. Mueth we just need to be patient with and hope it all comes together.
I still call the college arms Ben's Bullpen Brigade (other than Skenes), Woods seems like the perfect lefty swing man, Strickland the right hand version. Cotto and Furtado power lefties. Reed and Reilly power righties. Curtis the long man or potential starter.
Today's out of left field comment: Zander's last name reminds me of vermouth, so I hope he makes the majors and gives me an excuse to drink a manhattan every game that he pitches