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Pirates Pitching Prospects Who Could Take A Big Step Forward In 2023

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While development isn’t always linear, it is always encouraging to see a prospect take natural steps forward. You want to see that they found and adjusted to any struggles they had the year prior, rounding out their game even more.

If they really identify an area of opportunity, a player can take an even bigger step forward than expected. There are plenty of candidates that could take a step forward in the Pittsburgh Pirates system in 2023.

I wrote about the hitting prospects who could take a step forward this year. Below are the pitchers who could take a step forward.

Bubba Chandler/Anthony Solometo

Bubba Chandler and Anthony Solometo are among the team’s best prospects, after being taken with big bonuses in the 2021 draft. They both had successful rookie seasons, and with the right step forward in 2023 could become some of the best pitching prospects in the system.

Chandler has already taken one of the biggest steps he needed, and that is focusing on pitching only during the 2023 season. Already armed with one of the best fastballs in the system, the righty struck out 28.9% of the batters he faced last season between the FCL and Single-A. 

The walks are a concern, and there is room to improve on his breaking pitches, but there may not be a pitcher in the system that has a higher upside than him and focusing on pitching only will only help him find consistency on the mound.

When it comes to Solometo, there is a small argument to be made he had the best season out of any starting pitcher in the system. He didn’t allow a home run in 47.2 innings with Bradenton last year, and struck out 27.1% of the batters he faced.

The difference in his ultimate upside is how much velocity he could add to his fastball. He pitched mainly in the high-80s/low-90s while with Bradenton but threw harder than that in high school.

Anthony Murphy
Anthony Murphy
Anthony began writing over 10 years ago, starting a personal blog to cover the 2011 MLB draft, where the Pirates selected first overall. After bouncing around many websites covering hockey, he refocused his attention to baseball, his first love when it comes to sports. He eventually found himself here at Pirates Prospects in late 2021, where he covers the team’s four full season minor league affiliates.

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