Position: OF
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: 12/14/2000
High School: William Penn Charter School (Philadelphia, PA)
How Acquired: Draft Supp. 1st round, 37th Overall, 2019
Bonus: $2,150,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2023
Minor League Free Agency: 2025
Options Left: 3
Overview
The Pirates drafted Siani with the compensation pick that resulted from their failure to sign Gunnar Hoglund in 2018. His main asset is his hit tool and his ability to make consistent contact. As a pro, he’s changed his hitting style sharply. Now, he tends to wait for a pitch to drive, then try to elevate and pull the ball on nearly every swing. He has good but not great speed and there seems to be some difference of opinion on whether he’ll stay in center. His arm is average or a little below, again depending on your source. Siani was rated 44th among draft prospects by Baseball America and 43rd by MLB Pipeline. He had a commitment to Duke, but he signed for $150,700 above the slot value of $1,999,300.
2019-21
Siani split his time between center and left in the GCL. At the plate, he drew a lot of walks but otherwise didn’t hit well, striking out in nearly a third of his ABs without producing much power. He didn’t play in 2020, then in 2021, was one of the Bradenton players who fell at the extreme end of the league-wide trend toward sharply increased walk and K rates. In his case, 45% of his plate appearances resulted in one or the other. A lot of it seemed to stem from an effort on his part to look for pitches to drive, as he showed more power than expected. Although he seemingly struck out a lot, his K rate was actually lower than the league average. His OPS, despite the .215 batting average, was well above the league average. Siani unfortunately was out from mid-July through early September with an injury. In the outfield, he mostly split his time between left and right, starting a dozen games in center.
2022-24
At Greensboro in 2022, Siani had a rough time. He hit for much less power, drew fewer walks and struck out at an unsustainable rate. The Pirates finally put him on the development list in late July and sent him to Pirate City. He returned a month later, but things didn’t improve. The only positives were that he played well defensively, covering all three outfield positions, and did very well stealing bases.
Siani went to Australia for the winter season in 2022-23 and had a big campaign there, but the progress didn’t hold. He went back to Greensboro in 2023 and hit better than in 2022, but still not well. He batted 231/337/364 and struck out in a third of his plate appearances.
In 2024, Siani went back to Greensboro for a third stint and suddenly started hitting much better. The improvement may have come from him reducing his uppercut swing and not trying to pull every pitch. He put up a .966 OPS over 20 games, with more walks than strikeouts, and the Pirates moved him up to Altoona. With the Curve, Siani hit just for a passable 254/325/368 line, although his K rate remained much lower than in previous years. He had a reverse platoon split. Siani saw roughly equal playing time at the three outfield positions.
Stats
Transactions
June 3, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Supplemental 1st round, 37th overall pick; signed on June 14.