Morning Rundown: Pirates add two to 40-man roster

Pirates add Rule 5 eligible prospects Braxton Ashcraft and Tsung-Che Cheng to the 40-man roster ahead of deadline.

Photo Credit: WTM

Tuesday was the deadline to add eligible players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

With 37 players on their 40-man, the Pirates could protect up to three players without making other corresponding moves.

Ultimately, they decided to add Braxton Ashcraft and Tsung-Che Cheng, protecting them from the Rule 5 draft in December.

Ashcraft returns from Tommy John

After not pitching since 2021 due to Tommy John surgery, things went about as right as possible for Ashcraft this past season, making his way up to Double-A Altoona to close the season.

Ashcraft struck out 63 batters in 52.2 innings pitched while posting a 2.39 ERA. He allowed just three earned runs in 20 innings with Altoona.

He was recently ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the Pirates system on Baseball America after not being in the top 30 to begin the season.

With the news of Johan Oviedo coming out to begin the week, the Pirates may find themselves scrambling to cover innings this year, meaning there is a good chance if you are on the 40-man, you will see time in the majors this year.

Ashcraft was hitting mid-to-upper 90s with his fastball in shorter stints this past season, and pairing that with his plus slider makes him a perfect candidate for the bullpen, but with his elite control, you would like to allow him to start.

Of the 1,362 players in the minors to record at least 50 innings pitched this season, Ashcraft posted the 37th-lowest walk rate.

Can Cheng enter middle infield mix in 2024?

After his performance in Bradenton during the 2022 season, Tsung-Che Cheng was on some radars as a potential breakout candidate within the Pirates season in 2023.

Cheng has one of the best hit tools in the system, but the question is whether he has enough pop in his bat to stick at the highest level. He will also have to hit lefties better after going 18-for-90 (.200) against them in Double-A.

The counting power numbers were sapped nearly in half once moving up to Altoona, with 30 extra-base hits in 254 plate appearances in High-A and then 16 XBH in 281 PA after getting to Double-A.

He’s more of a gap power guy anyway, and many of his doubles were singles that he turned into the extra-base with his speed (he has 59 stolen bases on 77 attempts the last two seasons).

I’ve talked recently about how looking for an external candidate to boost the second base position this offseason may not be a bad idea. Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports added some additional evidence in an article on Monday.

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While Cheng isn’t exactly that, he has been touted as having one of the better hit tools in the system, and making contact is an area some of the other middle infielders on the 40-man have struggled with.

Between his approach and defensive ability, Cheng may be one of the prospects closest to being major-league-ready, even if there are still some things he will be looking to improve upon in 2024.

Jase Bowen was left unprotected

Seeing Jase Bowen left unprotected a year after Blake Sabol was and proceeded to hit 13 home runs as a rookie can look like history is preparing to repeat itself.

Bowen has more defensive flexibility than Sabol and a history of hitting for power and speed on the bases, but he also has 33 plate appearances above High-A.

There’s a chance a team grabs him and can do just enough to remain in the majors the entire year, but also, it’d just as easy to see him not get taken.

According to the chat done on Baseball America about the Pirates system, scouts seem to be torn about Bowen’s upside at the next level.