Pittsburgh Pirates State of the System 2024: Pitchers

Even with key graduations, system remains full of pitching depth

Oct 20, 2024

Want to know how good the pitching depth is for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the prospect level?

They graduated two top-100 prospects, one of which is perhaps the best pitching prospect of all time, and they still have one of the deepest stables in all of baseball.

While some of the hitting prospects may be waiting to see an impact, the Pirates will have quite a few pitchers knocking on the door this upcoming season.

Even with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones graduating, they have five other pitching prospects who have been on a top 100 list at one point or another.

40-man roster

Two of their top pitching prospects are already on the 40-man roster, with one making his major league debut at the end of the season.

Mike Burrows missed most of last season due to Tommy John, worked his way back and wrapped up the 2024 season making his major league debut, picking up the win as well.

Another former Tommy John patient, Braxton Ashcraft, made his way to Triple-A this past season, but an injury cut the year short. He’s had some injury issues over his career but has a pair of above-average breaking pitches in his arsenal and some of the best control in the system.

Top prospects

After Jared Jones made the team out of camp, all eyes will be on Bubba Chandler in Spring Training next year. He’s emerged as the top prospect in the system and one of the best pitchers in all of minor league baseball.

Thomas Harrington went from a walk-on at Campbell University to a first-round pick to a top-100 prospect. He has a plus slider and some of the best control in the entire system.

Hunter Barco was trending towards being a first-round pick during his draft year but underwent Tommy John surgery. He’s slowly worked his way back and had a fantastic season until an injury cut it short. The good news to come out of it was that it wasn’t an arm injury.

A closer for West Virginia, Carlson Reed shifted to the rotation and had one of the best seasons in the minors for the Pirates. Only Chandler finished with more strikeouts than Reed.

Interesting arms

Anthony Solometo was a top-100 prospect in all of baseball heading into the season but had a tough year. Even if he has to repeat Altoona, he’ll still be one of the youngest players at the level.

Wilber Dotel hit triple-digits during the season, and while the results haven’t quite matched the results, he’s making progress. Alessandro Ercolani pitched in High-A at 19, turning 20 towards the end of April. He took off late in the season as a multi-inning guy out of the bullpen but could still factor in as a starter.

Michael Kennedy doesn’t throw hard but sequences his pitches well, keeping hitters off balance. The fastball also plays up well despite the lack of velocity. There is a little more in the tank, as 2024 he focused on finding repeatable movement on the mound to allow for better control.

The Pirates have had great success drafting and developing prep pitchers, and Zander Mueth was among the latest. He was the best pitcher in the FCL this past season and got a taste of Bradenton to close out 2024. Levi Sterling was their 2024 prep pitcher signing, and scouts love his upside and projectability.

Signed out of Uganda, David Matoma touched triple-digits in the Dominican last year and has done well in two seasons of pro ball. He pitched in the FCL at 18 this past season and has allowed two earned runs in 38.2 career minor league innings.

Josh Hartle was the top-ranked college pitcher heading into the draft season but was ineffective for Wake Forest. The Pirates drafted him in the third round, hoping to help him return to form. He’s a finesse pitcher who will rely on control over stuff.

Khristian Curtis, Owen Kellington, JP Massey, Carlos Castillo, Antwone Kelly, and Matt Ager are other interesting names to monitor going forward.

Relief prospects

Relief prospects aren’t something you overly want to focus too much on, especially in the lower levels. The Pirates have some guys that may be worth monitoring, with the note that the hit rate on them is much less.

Ryan Harbin reached triple-digits this past year but has also been plagued by control issues. Brandan Bidois and Eddy Yean are in the Arizona Fall League, looking to face tougher competition.

Bidois has the stuff but has dealt with injuries. Yean was acquired in the Josh Bell trade and finally reached Triple-A this season. He throws a heavy sinker that could allow him to have some success as a middle reliever.

Jaden Woods and Cy Nielson are both left-handed and have intriguing stuff. More than what the numbers might indicate. However, in the upper levels, the results will have to start showing.

Carlos Jimenez shifted to the bullpen toward the end of the year, which suits him better. He has one of the better change-ups in the system but walks too many.

Garrett McMillan was a college reliever pitching in Bradenton. He got promoted to Greensboro and tore it up as a multi-inning reliever. He pitched well enough to make a case to maybe get a shot as a starter if they can find the space.

State of the System

Strengths: Upper-level talent. The Indianapolis rotation may have four starting pitchers who are or have been top-100 prospects. There’s an argument that Chandler is the third-best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball. His emergence has been incredible, and if he starts the year with the Pirates, he could be one of the heavy favorites for Rookie of the Year.

They may be deeper when it comes to pitching prospects than any other team in baseball.

Weaknesses: Some of the top guys carry a bit of an injury history. Ashcraft was shut down again due to forearm issues at the end of the year. Burrows hasn’t made it through a full season healthy. Barco and Khristian Curtis missed time with injuries.

Top Prospect: Bubba Chandler. Before this past season, we mentioned that Chandler may be closer to Paul Skenes than some people had realized. We saw that unfold this year, as he was fantastic and established himself as one of the better pitching prospects in the game. Not only is he the best pitching prospect in the system, but he’s also the best overall, and right now, it’s not close.

This site is 100% reader-supported, with no revenue coming from ads. If you enjoy our work, consider becoming a paid member today.

You will not only help the site grow but also get access to our fantastic premium content, which includes our Top 25 rankings and full-player write-ups, video breakdowns, and any features that come from my on-site trips.

Bucs On Deck is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.