As far as professional debuts go, it’s really hard to imagine a better one for Jun-Seok Shim. Making his first appearance in the Florida Complex League on Saturday, the righty pitched four perfect innings while striking out eight batters.
The Pirates prized international signing had a lot of hype going into the season, before he even threw a pitch. There was a lot of debate about where he might start the season, as he just turned 19-years-old at the beginning of April.
Shim was the second best international pitching prospect available, according to MLB Pipeline, and passed up entering the KBO Draft to be eligible to sign with a major league team.
Early reports on him were promising, but getting him stateside and in live game action would give us an even better idea of his stuff.
Trying not to get to hung up on one outing, Shim certainly looks like someone who could pitch his way out of the Complex League sooner rather than later.
Pirates RHP prospect Jun Seok Shim gets a k on his 1st batter. And his 2nd. And then his 3rd. Enjoy the free slider. The O’s didn’t #nasty pic.twitter.com/MHXww2G4Gv
— Florida Prospect Report (@FLProspectPod) June 10, 2023
You see a little bit of everything from each of the videos above, including his fastball command, which hitters had difficulty with.
There are a lot of things you could say about the work that Ben Cherington has done in his time as general manager. The way he has stockpiled these pitching prospects isn’t one of them.
We are seeing the importance of pitching depth right now in the upper levels. The Pirates tried to slide Roansy Contreras to the bullpen but were forced to keep him in the rotation due to Vince Velasquez getting hurt.
Velasquez joined Mike Burrows and JT Brubaker as Tommy John casualties. Sean Sullivan was recently put on the injured list in Altoona. Cam Alldred has found himself in the rotation and starting twice in the same week — to go along Indianapolis having a bullpen game on Saturday.
The Pirates have done a great job of adding as many high upside arms as possible into their lower levels, it’s now up to their development team to help push them to the next level.
I mentioned the other day, that you could find a new name almost on a daily basis in the lower levels, and that rang true yet again with Shim.
Prospect Notes
— Yordany De los Santos is the guy that’s close to making me break my rule about reading too much into a prospect’s performance until he hits full season ball.
The more I talk to people who’ve seen him play, and the little bit I have seen, the upside that the Pirates may have found in him is insane.
That’s being fully aware of the fact the FCL has only been going for a week, and at 18-years-old there are struggles awaiting him.
It kind of feels that if you were looking for that signature hitter brought up through the DSL, he may be the best shot right now.
— Enmanuel Terrero and Shalin Polanco are turning into quite the 1-2 punch for the Marauders right now. The 19-year-old Polanco hit his ninth home run of the season, and is currently third in the Florida State League.
Terrero is in a tie for fifth when it comes to hits, after picking up three more on Saturday. He got off to a really slow start but has since taken off. He’s approach is fantastic and has an intriguing blend of speed and power to his game.
Daily Video Rundown
Derek Diamond k’s Rudd to get out of trouble. That’s 5 inn so far for DD and his team has him up by a few runs #pitcher pic.twitter.com/7ib6twIL0Y
— Florida Prospect Report (@FLProspectPod) June 10, 2023
It hasn’t always been pretty for Derek Diamond but he’s shown great control early on. He picked up his fourth win of the season on Saturday.
#pirate fans this is for you. OF prospect Lonnie White laces an RBI single that he extends into a 2-base opportunity. Man it’s great to see him rollin #athlete #playmaker pic.twitter.com/xp4gqjDMIf
— Florida Prospect Report (@FLProspectPod) June 10, 2023
It’s not the biggest surprise Lonnie White has struggled a bit considering all the time he’s missed, but he’s still shown flashes. He picked up a RBI single on Saturday, but also struck out three times.
Speaking of pitching prospects, here’s the full game from Jared Jones the other night. You can read the writeup of the game here.
PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY
By Tim Williams
Looking for the nightly Prospect Watch, Pirates Recap, and game discussion? Check out Pirates Prospects Live.
**P2Live: Pirates Trudge Through Lifeless Loss, Jun-Seok Shim Throws Four Perfect Innings in Pro Debut
I wrote a column yesterday looking at the depth the Pirates have for the remainder of the season.
**Williams: How Much Depth Do the 2023 Pirates Have Left?
Missed yesterday? Anthony looked at the start from Jack Brannigan, fueled by his power.
**Jack Brannigan Continues Hot Streak With Another Home Run
