Bounce back candidates in the Pirates system for 2024

Three players looking to bounce back from tough 2023 seasons.

Photo Credit: Ryan Palencer

Development isn’t always linear, players who are learning and growing hit walls and need time to adjust. Sometimes, they can’t make the required change and have a bad season.

While having a bad year in the minors isn’t ideal, it is a good test for players to see if they can bounce back from a season-long slump.

Liover Peguero had a rough 2022 but bounced back and put together a strong year that ended with him getting the call to the majors.

Here’s a look at some players looking to rebound from a rough 2023 this upcoming season.

Andres Alvarez

He put together a solid 2021 in Greensboro, posting a 126 wRC+ and a slugging percentage just under .500 (.482). Alvarez picked up 15 extra-base hits in 158 plate appearances with the Grasshoppers, six of which were home runs.

Solid, but nothing of note, especially considering that it came in Greensboro.

That made his offensive explosion in Altoona during the 2022 season that much more impressive. Alvarez became the first Curve player to post a 20/20 season, posting a 111 wRC+ with 35 extra-base hits.

He played all over the infield and even got some time in left field.

The depth the Pirates had at the middle infield position forced Alvarez back to Altoona to start the 2023 season.

Despite playing at the same level the year before, he couldn’t repeat his success in 2022. He was able to cut back on the strikeouts, but his walk rate also plummeted, and he only finished the year with eight home runs and four stolen bases - with a wRC+ of 73.

He fits more as a depth piece within the system but has a lot more offensive upside than he showed during his second tour of Double-A.

Tyler Samaniego

You’ll get burned more often than not by putting too much faith in lower-level relievers, and that could very much include Samaniego.

He began the 2022 season in Greensboro and pitched an entire month without allowing a hit before getting promoted to Altoona. Samaniego finished with a 3-3, adding 10 saves in 24 appearances while posting a 3.52 ERA.

Samaniego emerged as one of the top relief pitching prospects in the system, beginning the year again in Altoona but finishing the year with a 5.51 ERA and an increased walk rate.

There are some signs that he’s in line for a bounce-back year within some of his other metrics. In 2022, he had a Batting Average of Balls in Play (BABIP) of .160, an incredibly low number that he had little chance of maintaining from year to year.

That was the case, as it jumped to .392 in 2023, which was on the opposite extreme side of the spectrum.

He also saw an increase in his strikeout rate (19.8% to 26%) while posting a xFIP of 3.93. He had a less-than-spectacular Arizona Fall League, but it was a small sample size, and it’s generally seen as more of a hitter-friendly setting as it is.

JC Flowers

Another player that had a less-than-impressive Arizona Fall League stint, it was a rough all-around year for Flowers in 2023.

Guys who rely on pitching to contact have a lot of variance in their game, which is the case for Flowers. He’s always relied on keeping the ball on the ground, as he posted a ground ball rate of 60% in 2022 with the Altoona Curve.

Overall, he posted a 2.88 ERA while picking up seven wins and three saves among 68.2 innings pitched. He filled almost every role for the Curve, whether starting or closing games or everything else in between.

Last year was a disaster for Flowers in Triple-A, posting a 9.39 ERA in 46 innings pitched. He also almost walked a batter an inning with 39, compared to only 45 strikeouts.

Flowers is one of the most athletic players in the system, throws from a lower arm slot (something the Pirates love), and has a strong slider. The control derailed his season, if he can refind it and get back to his heavy slider approach to induce ground balls, Flowers could be an option out the bullpen at some point in 2024.