Scouting the Pirates system 2023: Best Power Tool

Taking a look at the best 'power' tool in the Pirates system

Photo Credit: WTM

‘Scouting the Pirates system’ is taking an in depth look at the players in the organization, and how has the best tools. Each article will highlight a different tool, with each writer on the site pitching in who they believe has the best.

Hitting a home run may be the most exciting moment in baseball, especially a mammoth no doubt shot. So, having a strong power tool is certainly something that is going to get you noticed.

Taking a look at the Pirates system, while no one putting up a huge home run total (Jase Bowen paced the system with 24), there are plenty of players that carry a heavy ‘power’ tool.

Mason Martin

If we are talking about pure power tool, there aren’t many who can hit the ball like Mason Martin can. When it comest to prospects where we have exit velocity data on, no one has a better 95th percentile mark than Martin at 109.1 mph.

He’s among the minor league leaders in home runs over the past couple of years and hit 19 in what basically a tad north of half a seasons worth of plate appearances.

There are questions elsewhere in his game, but when it comes to power, few offer what he does.

Josiah Sightler

It was only 40 batted ball events, but Sightler left his mark in the Pirates system during his time in Bradenton, putting up the second best recorded 95th percentile exit velocity number at 109 mph.

In just 157 plate appearances, Sightler launched seven home runs across the FCL, Bradenton and Greensboro. That averages out to 26 home runs over a 600 plate appearance season, which would have led the Pirates system.

Matt Gorski

One of the few players, perhaps the only, with legitimate 30/30 upside in the minors, Gorski recorded his second straight 20/20 year in 2023.

He also missed time again due to an injury, which cut into his production a bit. A 30/30 season was probably more likely last year than this season but he’s certainly flirted with the pace.

Gorski was fairly close to Sightler and Martin when it comes to his 95th percentile EV number - posting a 107.2 mph. mark while in Triple-A Indianapolis.

WTM: Lonnie White Jr.

White’s power started to show up after he’d gotten some distance from the wrist surgery this spring, and from the long layoff, having missed essentially all of last year.  He had 18 extra base hits in his last 28 games for Bradenton, and he had some long drives caught that may go farther once he’s in a less pitcher-friendly environment.  There’s also the fact that he’s still only 20 years old.

Other notables

Adding on to what WTM wrote, White has the metrics to really back him being talked about as well, and he’s theoretically still growing into his power at just 20-years-old.

He posted a 106.1 mph 95th percentile EV last year with Bradenton, and just snuck into the .200 ISO club (with .200 exactly).

White’s 15% barrel rate would have been the best among qualified major league hitters, beating out Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani.

I talked about Termarr Johnson on the ‘hit’ tool article about he may be a little more power over hit right right now, and with 18 home runs as a teenager and a 95th percentile EV mark of 107.4 mph, that holds pretty strong.

He has a smaller frame, so you have to wonder how much power he will grow into, but with the numbers he’s already putting up, that may not matter.

A complete and udder out of nowhere leader when it comes ISO power in the system this year - Shawn Ross. I talked about him answering the call as a catcher despite never playing there before, but the real story was just how much power he hit for in Greensboro.

His 14 home runs this year would stretch out to 38 over a 600 plate appearances season, which would have easily led the system.