Pirates' affiliates rotations to start the 2024 season
A look at who is in the rotation at each affiliate and what the approximate order is currently.
With all affiliates getting ready to wrap up at least their first full week of the regular season, the rotations—at least for now—have become clear and have been worked through at least once.
The Pirates have some of the best pitching prospect depth in the minors, and you can see it looking through each affiliate. There are some of the topped ranked pitchers at each spot, as well as some notable sleeper candidates as well.
There are some injuries currently that will really push the Pirates in how they see some of their prospects, as they will need rotation spots at some point this season.
A lot can change throughout the minor league season, but here’s a look at each affiliate's rotatiuse in 2024, at least to start.
Indianapolis Indians
Michael Plassmeyer
Paul Skenes
Quinn Priester
Cam Alldred
Eric Lauer
The order is a little out of place thanks to some rainouts. The obvious big attraction is former first-overall pick Paul Skenes, who made his thirdseason start on Friday.
Priester, also a first-round pick in 2019, has made over 20 starts at the Triple-A level. Lauer, a minor-league free agent signing during Spring Training, is a veteran of nearly 600 innings in the majors.
Plassmeyer and Alldred provide depth and an ability to fill innings, which has become increasingly valuable as baseball shrinks each team's Domestic Reserve Limit.
Altoona Curve
Bubba Chandler
Sean Sullivan
Anthony Solometo
Braxton Ashcraft
Po-Yu Chen
This is, at least to start, the mostl-rounded rotation the Pirates have in their system, and they aren’t even at full strength yet.
Chandler, Solometo, and Ashcraft are all top 10 can sometimes be very hittablem, and they could be joined by Thomas Harrington (7-day IL) at some point this season.
Chandler and Solometo are top 100 prospects on multiple websites, with Harrington sneaking onto the ESPN list. Ashcraft was added to the 40-man roster this past off-season.
Sullivan has some of the best fastball command in the system and saw a slick uptick in the velocity during Spring Training. He was a surprise invite to big league camp. Chen has a pitch mix that goes five or six deep, but the fastball can sometimes be very hittable, so there’s added pressure on the secondary stuff.
Greensboro Grasshoppers
Hunter Barco
Patrick Reilly
JP Massey
Wilber Dotel
Alessandro Ercolani
This rotation might be the most intriguing in the system right now. Barco has been fantastic in two starts so far, with an improved fastball (based off his time in Bradenton), and two above-average secondary pitches to go with it.
Massey burst on the scene last year in Bradenton, getting the call to the Future’s Game, but he struggled in Greensboro as the control issues that plagued him in college returned.
Derek Diamond is currently on the injured list but was one of the few pitchers to pitch more than 100 innings last year.
Reilly came into the season with a well-noted walk issue and seemed destined for the bullpen, but he’s issued just one free pass in his first two starts that have spanned 7.1 innings pitched (14 strikeouts).
Dotel and Ercolani are on the younger and raw end of things but showed some promising moments last year. There probably wouldn’t have been any panic if they had started in Bradenton again (Ercolani doesn’t turn 20 until the 20th), but they were both pushed to Greensboro.
In their first starts on Tuesday and Wednesday, they put up identical 4 IP, 2 H, BB, and 5 K lines.
Bradenton Marauders
Tuesday- Carlos Jimenez
Wednesday - Hung-Leng Chang
Thursday - Antwone Kelly
Friday - Carlson Reed
Saturday - Michael Kennedy
Sunday - Khristian Curtis
The Marauders are the only full-season affiliate to have a six-man rotation, so each starter pitches once per week, no matter what.
You will see some college arms start there who may be new to starting (Reed) or have dealt with injuries in previous years (Curtis).
Kennedy was a prep draft pick in 2022 and spent 2023 in the complex league, so this is his first taste of full-season baseball. He flashed solid secondary stuff but doesn’t have an overwhelming fastball, so he will have to rely on command.
Jimenez dealt with injuries last year, which wiped out most of his 2023 season. The stuff can sometimes be unhittable, butt he has far too much of a control issue.
Chang started the year in the FCL but made his final seven appearances with the Marauders. In his first start of 2024, his splitter showed good swing-and-miss ability.
Reed and Curtis have flashed really good stuff, they just need to refine their control, hence the start in Bradenton. Kelly’s fastball shape and metrics really jumped off the page, but he’s been hit hard as he struggles to locate his stuff. He got up to 98 MPH in his last start.
Where’s German?
Curtis not Kurtis……