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With Pittsburgh Pirates fans seemingly always having to look to the future, let's take some time to discuss some prospects. This won't be a look at the top ten Pirates prospects, although most of the prospects discussed are on that list. Others are names Pirates fans have been hearing for a while. Still others have exciting stories. When general manager Ben Cherington was hired in 2019, he immediately set about to rebuild the Pirates' farm system. One way was for the Pirates to acquire other teams' top prospects in trades for veterans who likely wouldn't be in Pittsburgh by the time the team was ready to contend. The other way was via the draft and international signings. Cherington's trades have been a mixed bag. This year's squad will include several players acquired in those trades. It's also true that he should have got more for , , and . However, Cherington has made up for it with his drafts and international signings. It's a far cry from when his predecessors used first-round picks on , , and . Most of the Pirates' top prospects are pitchers. It's an approach that takes work to argue with. In today's baseball, having at least one high-caliber starter is essential. Having a five-man rotation who are each five or six games over .500 will get a team into the playoffs. But with a legitimate ace among the five, winning a short series and getting past the Wild Card round is easier. Pirates Prospects on the Horizon The Stud The , , 21, is a future star. He's also the Pirates' top prospect. Pitching for the winner Louisiana State University, in 19 games covering 122-2/3 innings, Skenes was 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA, .750 WHIP, 209 strikeouts, and 20 walks. The right-hander's fastball averaged 98 mph and has been clocked as high as 102. Skenes is big at six-foot-six, 235 pounds. To batters, it looks like the fastball is right on top of them and blowing by them before they can make a swing decision. His wipeout slider gets a lot of swing-and-miss and features a power change-up. Observers who saw him pitch at LSU insist he's ready to get major league hitters out now . Skenes will most likely start the season in the minors. Pirates fans won't want to read that. One can't blame them for wanting to see Skenes in the big time sooner rather than later. But it's a sensible approach for such a valuable piece. We soon enough, perhaps as early as June. A Gem of a Second Baseman This brings us to another gem in the Pirates' system, namely , 19, the second baseman of the future. The number-two Pirates prospect and left-handed hitter was their . Drafted as a shortstop, the Pirates are converting him to second base, which suits his arm better. Although merely five-foot-eight, 175 pounds, Johnson drives the ball to all fields against all types of pitching. He also makes good contact and has the on-base skills the Pirates like to see. He came across as level-headed and mature when he was interviewed on the Pirates' telecast after being drafted. Given his ability and maturity, projections have him in Pittsburgh in 2025. Slowed Down but Not Forgotten We jump now to the Pirates' number-eight prospect, because this is a name Pirates fans have been hearing. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old right-hander made only two starts at triple-A Indianapolis in 2023 before requiring Tommy John surgery. Thus, his projected arrival in the bigs has been pushed back to 2025, although even that seems optimistic. He throws a fastball sitting at 95 mph, a curveball that's an effective "out" pitch, and an evolving change-up. He profiles as a starter but needs to show he can handle the long major league season. Burrows pitched well at double-A Altoona in 2022 and was named to the Futures Game. That year, he earned a promotion to Indianapolis but seemed to tire and produced mediocre results. Once he's built up to handle some innings, Pirates fans will be anxious for his debut. A Wolf in Pirates' Clothing Now we jump down to number 10 on the Pirates' prospect list, . The six-foot-seven lefty was the key acquisition in last year's trade deadline deal that saw and go to the San Diego Padres. Getting a prospect of this magnitude for Hill and Choi was a master stroke of genius by Cherington. Wolf, 24, is particularly interesting to Pirates fans because he pitched for nearby West Virginia University. (WVU's Mountaineers are considered a rival of the Pitt Panthers. However, the intensity of that rivalry has dissipated in recent years, with the two schools competing in different conferences.) Despite his size, Wolf is not a hard thrower. Even so, he had a high strikeout rate in his senior year. That's because his breaking pitches rate is above average, and hitters must also be wary of his change-up. His minor league numbers have yet to quite live up to the hype. However, given the quality of his pitches and the fact that PNC Park favors left-handers by featuring a deep left field, he should become a helpful starter once he makes it to Pittsburgh. More For the Arms...
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