This is part one of a three-part series on breakout prospects for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Part two will be published later today and part three will be published tomorrow.
The Pirates had a lot of position players at the low levels of the system this year who could develop into prospects. In fact, they had quite a few, mainly in the Dominican Summer League, who put up impressive numbers in their debut seasons. A few, most notably Alexander Mojica, put up such outstanding numbers that it’s just too weird to call them “breakout candidates.” Stats at the rookie levels can be just about meaningless, though — ask Juan Pie and Angel Basabe about that — so it’s too soon to call them “prospects.” But there were plenty of hitters making their debuts in the system this year who are worth watching closely to see whether they can establish themselves as prospects next year. Here are a few:
Juan Jerez, IF: At $380,000, Jerez was one of the Pirates’ more prominent signings in the 2018-19 signing period. He had a good debut in the DSL, batting 272/324/469, with impressive power for a 17-year-old middle infielder. Listed at 6’0”, 160 pounds, it’s conceivable he could add more power as he fills out; if that happens, he might fit at third base. According to reports when Jerez signed, swing-and-miss was an issue and that remained true to some extent, as he struck out a little more than once every five ABs and didn’t walk much. Jerez spent about two-thirds of his time at second and a third at short, probably in deference to shortstop Luis Tejeda, who got a larger signing bonus. Jerez should be in the Gulf Coast League in 2020.
Sergio Campana, OF: Campana was one of the Pirates’ three most expensive signings, along with Tejeda and Osvaldo Gavilan, picking up $500,000. He’ll hopefully be able to stay in center and showed good speed in his debut, swiping 24 bags in 29 tries. He was hurt at the beginning of the season and started off 3-for-27, but rebounded to bat .313 the rest of the way. He finished at 281/362/374. Strikeouts were a problem with Campana, too, as he fanned in better than a quarter of his ABs. He also should be in the GCL.
Rodolfo Nolasco, OF: A corner outfielder, Nolasco at $235,000 wasn’t one of the Pirates’ biggest signings, but we had very good reports on him during the DSL season. Specifically, he had easily the best exit velocity of any of the Pirates’ hitters in the DSL. That’s impressive considering that his team, the Pirates2, batted .306 overall. (One cautionary note: In the DSL, teams play only within their divisions and the rest of that team’s division appears to have been pretty weak. The Pirates1 played in a much stronger division. Jerez and Campana both played for the Pirates1.) Nolasco wasn’t one of the team’s top hitters early as he was hitting into a lot of loud outs, but he got hot late in the season and finished at 302/373/472, as a 17-year-old in a league that slugged only .346. He’ll be a player to watch in the GCL.
Jasiah Dixon and Deion Walker, OF: I’m putting these two together because they were both late-round prep outfielders who signed for above-slot bonuses. They also both got only 70-odd ABs after signing late and then having to cope with the overloaded GCL outfield, and both had strong debuts. They’re actually not similar players. Dixon is a speedy center fielder who may or may not develop power. Walker (pictured above) is 6’4” and has a lot of room to fill out, raising the hope that he could develop as a power hitter. Dixon batted 329/417/425 with good plate discipline (10 BB, 11 K) and eight steals in eleven tries. Walker batted 270/329/459 (the GCL as a whole slugged .345), although his plate discipline could have been better (5 BB, 18 K). Given the small sample sizes, it’s especially hard to guess where these two will get assigned. Could be anywhere from Bristol to Greensboro. Obviously I have no read on what the development practices are going to be with the new front office, once it’s in place. Wherever they are, it’ll be interesting to see how real Dixon’s and Walker’s debuts were.
Eli Wilson, C: This is my personal wild card pick. It’s probably based, more than anything else, on my eagerness to see this franchise develop an actual catching prospect. Unlike the Pirates’ typical catching draftee, he actually has the potential both to hit and to field. He’s a very athletic player with a good arm, who doesn’t have a ton of experience behind the plate yet. Wilson hit only decently (234/356/366) at Bristol, which isn’t a high level for a college draftee. He did show good plate discipline (23 BB, 30 K) and a little power, and scouts when he was drafted thought he had the potential for more power. We had good reports on his receiving. Hopefully, he’ll be at Greensboro; if he goes to West Virginia, it’s probably not a good sign.
