Pittsburgh Pirates State of the System 2024: Infield
Pittsburgh Pirates State of the System 2024: Infield
A look at the infielders in the Pirates system
Under the five drafts that Ben Cherington has overseen, three of their top selections have been infielders, including two prep players.
Nick Gonzales made strides in establishing himself as a major leaguer. Jared Triolo is a Gold Glove candidate as a utility player. Both were former infield prospects for the Pirates.
The biggest hit the infield took as an organization was Oneil Cruz moving to the outfield. It perhaps wasn’t the biggest surprise to some, as it was long thought that he’d have to make that move anyway, but regardless, it leaves a bit of a hole in the majors that Isiah Kiner-Falefa may have to fill in the meantime.
When looking at prospect-eligible players who also play the infield, there are some intriguing names throughout the system, some even on the 40-man roster already.
40-man roster
The Pirates don’t have much upper-level hitting prospect help, but perhaps the two most notable are already on the 40-man roster—Tsung-Che Cheng and Nick Yorke.
Cheng had another rough season in Altoona but did show some encouraging signs in a week’s worth of a cameo in Triple-A to close the year. He’s not the biggest of players, but he plays solid defense and has some speed.
Acquired in the Quinn Priester trade with Boston, Yorke is a former first-round pick who has flashed a strong hit tool in the minors. With Gonzales at second, the best path to playing time is to add to his defensive flexibility, which he did in Triple-A, even adding the outfield to the picture.
The high-bonus guys
The Pirates used top-10 picks on Termarr Johnson and Konnor Griffin, who represent the two best hitting prospects in the system currently.
Johnson was heralded as a prospect with one of the best hit tools to come out the prep ranks in recent history, giving him a somewhat respectable floor as a high school pick.
He hasn’t hit for the high average that you would expect, but he has some of the best plate discipline in the minors. Johnson has drawn nearly 200 walks in the last two years between Bradenton, Greensboro, and Altoona. He also swiped 22 bases this past year and now seems to be a potential threat to push the 20/20 envelope.
There weren’t many players with the tools that Griffin had in the 2024 draft, and if there had been slightly fewer concerns about his hit tool, he might have made a legitimate case for being the top pick.
Griffin has the toolset to be a potential 30/30 shortstop who plays solid defense at a premium position. It will just be a matter of how much he hits in pro ball.
The tweener prospects
Some names have shown some promise but are teetering between being actual prospects and just another depth guy.
Jack Brannigan is the best of the group, and you could make an argument that he should be in a tier higher than this, but there are still questions about him. One of them is strikeouts. He took a step in the right direction this year by cutting back on them.
He also continues showing some power potential after hitting 18 in just 77 games with Greensboro. There’s also some speed there (over 40 stolen bases in 192 minor league games), as he finished one home run short of a 20/20 season in 2023.
The glove is among the best in the system, but he will also be 24 before the 2025 regular season starts, has yet to play above A ball, and struggled in the Arizona Fall League in 2023.
Andres Alvarez became the first Altoona Curve to have a 20/20 season and had a decent year in 2024 with Indianapolis. He doesn’t have a clear defensive home and will be 28 when the 2025 schedule starts.
Acquired in the Jackson Wolf retrade with the Padres, Kervin Pichardo hit 11 home runs and showed flashes at the plate, but didn’t walk much and had some swing and miss. He’s playing in the fall league, which is a good opportunity to face better pitching.
Keiner Delgado was acquired in the JT Brubaker trade. The Pirates were clearly high on him, and he showed some thump early in his tenure with the organization but leveled off. He does have some speed on the bases but is likely limited to second base and will have to hit better.
Knocking on the prospect radar is Nick Cimillo, who went from the Development List to mashing in Greensboro before getting promoted to Altoona. He hit 21 home runs and put up good contact rates, but he will be 25 before the start of next season.
Lower-level, high-upside
The Pirates have some talent in the lower levels. They are just raw at this point and have a very wide range of outcomes.
Esmerlyn Valdez led the Florida State League in home runs at 20 years old in his first full professional season. He’s played in the outfield but is probably destined for first base long-term. The power is super intriguing, but he also struck out at a mid-30 % rate.
Jhonny Severino was our Minor League Hitter of the Year after posting double-digit home runs and stolen bases. He’s played third and short but is more of a fit at the former. Yordany De Los Santos has the speed and is a slick fielder but has struggled to hit in both appearances with Bradenton over the last two seasons.
He’s still listed as an outfielder, but Tony Blanco Jr. has only played 1B/DH this past season in the FCL. There aren’t many with the raw power that he has, and he flashed a bit more hitability than previous thought, but still has a ways to go.
State of the System
Strengths: Griffin has some of the highest upside in the system, if not in baseball. Termarr continues to advance despite being one of the youngest players at each level he plays at. He has yet to face a pitcher younger than him. There are a lot of young, high-upside players in this group.
With some higher floor, lower upside, players mixed in.
Weaknesses: It falls under the same group of upside players in that there is still a wide variety of outcomes that could come of it. As with all prospects, they have their risks. The strikeouts and swing-and-miss will have to improve.
Top Prospect: Konnor Griffin. Termarr provides a little more floor due to its track record and proven hit tool. However, the tools are still too much to overlook for Griffin, who has the upside of being a 30/30 shortstop.
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This is admitted nit-picking but I disagree with you choosing Griffin over Johnson as the top infield prospect. To me Johnson WAS Griffin several years ago admittedly with different strengths / weaknesses and I guess I feel he may just be getting the shiny new toy treatment. Termarr has mostly made it to the prove it level (AA) on or ahead of schedule without any major issues while Griffin really hasn't started. One final point: Termarr's weakness to me was his fielding while Griffins' is his hit tool. While I don't think Termarr has necessarily squashed that concern, I CAN find a place for a hitter who is not a dynamic fielder, but it is much harder to find a place for a player who can not hit. So until Griffin dis-spells those hitting concerns some I'll vote Termarr as the top prospect as they both can have high ceilings IMO.
Is Griffin ticketed to start at short? I could have sworn some outlets projected him for the OF, but I don’t remember if that was more their opinion where he’s better suited.