Scouting the Pirates system 2024: Best hit tool
Scouting the Pirates system 2024: Best hit tool
Who has the best hit tool in the Pirates system?
The ‘Best Tools’ series is a look throughout the Pittsburgh Pirates organization at who has the best tools in the system.
The most basic of tools, the ability to put the ball in play, begins and ends with consistent bat-to-ball skills. Without a consistent hit tool, it’s hard to utilize other tools like power and speed.
Some may be able to get by if the power tool is elite, but it may be hard to showcase it on a year-to-year basis.
In an age of added emphasis on exit velocity and launch angles, the hit tool can take a backseat at times, but players like Steven Kwan and Luis Arraez have made a career out of putting the ball in play at an elite rate, regardless of how hard it is hit.
The Pirates have had some issues with strikeouts in recent years, a problem that trickles down throughout the system. So, they may not be flush with prospects with great hit tools, but a few stand out.
Here’s a look at some prospects with the best ‘hit tool’ in the Pirates organization:
Mitch Jebb
Picked in the second round in 2023, Mitch Jebb had one of the highest-graded hit tools among college hitters in the draft. After putting up a 94% in-zone contact rate last year in Bradenton, Jebb uncharacteristically struggled to make contact at the beginning of this season.
He righted the ship and finished with a solid season. Jebb doesn’t hit for much power—he finished 2024 with six home runs despite playing in Greensboro—but he makes a lot of contact.
Jebb finished the season with an 8.4% Swinging Strike rate, which put him in a tie for the sixth-lowest mark among Pirates minor leaguers with at least 100 plate appearances that only played full-season baseball.
The contact in the zone was well above average, and he didn’t chase out of the zone often.
When it comes to pure hit tools, Jebb has one of the best in the system.
Nick Yorke
His time in the system is young, but Nick Yorke quickly established himself as one of the best hitters in the system, eventually getting promoted to the majors, but keeping his prospect status.
With a Swinging Strike rate under 10% (8.6%), a strong zone contact mark, and the ability to hold off pitches outside the zone, Yorke has all the pieces of a strong hit tool. He even takes it another step with his ability to spray the ball all over the field.
NolaJeffy: Nick Cimillo
I almost felt obligated to go with Mitch Jebb, but looking more into it; I decided to go with Nick Cimillo. The obvious caveat is that Cimillo spent half his season at 24 in High-A and then the second half in Double-A. His strikeout rate of 25.6% with Greensboro dropped to 17.3% while with Altoona, with his walk rate also dropping from 17.0% to 11.9% in 185 plate appearances. His whiff rate dropped from 27.3% to 20.9%, and his zone contact improved from a solid 81.8% to an even better 85.1% with the Curve. It’s hard to say what 2025 will bring, but maybe Cimillo could be a late-blooming 1B prospect with patience and power: 21 HRs and 71 RBI in 96 games.
Others to watch in the system
With how scoring is done in the FCL, it’s hard to get accurate accounts when it comes to whiff rates, at least publicly. On paper, though, Luke Scherrer’s 6.6% SwStr% is something to note going forward.
He walked (18) nearly as often as he struck out (21), showing strong knowledge of the strike zone for someone his age.
There’s enough data to at least make him someone to watch should he jump to full-season ball next year.
Termarr Johnson was drafted fourth overall in the 2022 draft after he was heralded as one of the best prep players available in recent history. Those lofty expectations may have given the appearance he hasn’t fared well so far, but few can control the strike zone like Johnson.
Among hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances since 2023, no one has a higher walk rate than Johnson, at 18.5%.
The plate awareness is there, as he gains more experience the contact should continue progressing. It’s always worth mentioning that he is still just 20 and has already reached Double-A, having yet to face a pitcher younger than him.
WTM's pick for best hit tool was Termarr Johnson.
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Surprised that Jhonny Severino was not mentioned. Young, but tore it up in the FCL, and continued into A.
Pirates signed Yohan Ramirez to a MiL deal a week and a half ago. He spent 2024 with four different teams and put up a 6.20 ERA, so the attraction is obvious.