The Pirates are starting to promote some of their minor league players, with two pitchers moving up a level this week. Today’s Prospect Watch looks at the promotions of Kyle Nicolas and Anthony Solometo, as well as a report on two-way player Jack Brannigan.
Looking for the nightly game results? You can find that in Pirates Prospects Live.
Yesterday’s Results: Pirate Pitching Falters as Cub Curse Continues
Today’s Action: The Pirates and Brewers Battle For First Place This Weekend
TIM WILLIAMS: Kyle Nicolas, RHP, Indianapolis (AAA)
Kyle Nicolas has always been a nasty pitcher, by the numbers and by the stuff. His problem has been control. Prior to being acquired for Jacob Stallings, the 6′ 4″, 223 pound right-hander made it to Double-A with Miami. In his age 22 season, he had a 29.9% strikeout rate, but a 15% walk rate.
The Pirates sent Nicolas to Double-A again in 2022, giving him a full season at the level. In 90.2 innings, he posted a 3.97 ERA, while maintaining a 25% strikeout rate and seeing a drop to a 12.1% walk rate. This year, he’s seen a further drop in the walks, going down to 9.6% on the season, while maintaining a 26.4% strikeout rate.
Nicolas was promoted to Triple-A recently, after looking like he took another step forward in his final five starts. His walk rate in that 22 inning stretch was 7.9% — almost half of what it was in Double-A when he was with the Marlins. His strikeout rate is up to 30.3% during that stretch, which is higher than any previous mark in Double-A. His jump to Triple-A will give him a challenge against more advanced hitters who have seen more pitchers throwing mid-90s velocity paired with a plus slider. With the Pirates needing rotation depth, Nicolas could step up as an option for the majors by the end of the year if he carries his improved control to the higher levels.
TIM WILLIAMS: Anthony Solometo, LHP, Altoona (AA)
At the age of 20, and less than two years after being drafted out of high school and given just under $3 million to sign, Anthony Solometo has reached Double-A. The 6′ 5″ lefty with a funky delivery had no issue with High-A hitters. He put up a 2.30 ERA in 58.2 innings, striking out 68 batters in the process, with 25 walks.
I don’t want to diminish anything that Solometo has done by bringing up the home park aspect. Greensboro is very hitter friendly, and a big reason for this is a very shallow right field, with no alleys in the outfield. As a lefty with deception, advanced stuff, and control, I felt going into the year that Solometo would limit the hitter advantage in Greensboro’s home park. He did exactly that, with a 1.59 ERA in 34 innings, along with 41 strikeouts. What’s interesting is that his walk rate was higher at home (4.2 BB/9) than on the road (3.3 BB/9). The park didn’t hurt him, but it might have affected his approach.
It’s not like Solometo needed that advantage. In five starts on the road, he had a 3.28 ERA in 24.2 innings, along with 27 strikeouts, and the lower walk rate mentioned above. I like the aggressive approach in moving Solometo up, but I think we need to look at Nicolas to set proper expectations. It’s possible that Solometo could stall for a bit at the higher level, as there’s a huge jump in talent between A-ball and Double-A. Just like Nicolas moving up to the advanced hitters in Triple-A, the prospects in Double-A have more commonly seen an advanced lefty.
That said, I think you could make the argument that Solometo is one of the most advanced lefties in the minors. You could also make the argument he’s one of the most talented pitchers in the Pirates’ system. It’s possible that he goes to Altoona and lets his talent and maturity continue to outshine his young age. Long-term, Solometo has a few years to develop those final steps to the majors. Short-term, it’s going to be exciting to see how quickly he can bridge that gap to Pittsburgh.
WILBUR MILLER: Jack Brannigan, INF, Bradenton (A)
Jack Brannigan has a lot in common with Jared Triolo and Matt Gorski. He’s a college draftee who’s very athletic and has power potential, but has some questions about his approach at the plate. Like Triolo especially, he’s versatile. In a way even more so. Brannigan is a potential two-way player whom some scouts preferred on the mound, due to a fastball that’s reached triple digits and a swing-and-miss slider. The Pirates, though, haven’t tried him on the mound, although they haven’t ruled that out.
The big attraction seems to be Brannigan’s defense. Like Triolo, he started off as a third baseman, but the Pirates this year are giving him a lot of time at second and short. He has the quickness and athleticism at least to do a passable job at short, probably better than that at second. At third, he’s a plus defender, and he obviously has the arm for the left side of the infield. He runs well; he’s 10-for-10 so far this year in steal attempts.
The question is the bat. Brannigan takes a big cut and, like Gorski, will chase breaking balls out of the zone. So far as a pro, he’s struck out in a little over a third of his at-bats. He got off to a slow start this year, still playing at Bradenton, which is a low level for a college draftee in his first full season. He missed a chunk of April and May due to injury, but in the 17 games he played, he had just two extra base hits, both triples, and batted only .189. Since returning, though, he’s been noticeably better at laying off pitches outside the zone. In June he’s batting .244/.382/.622, with five home runs in 12 games. He’s drawing a lot of walks, so his OBP is good despite a low average. It’s going to be important to see how Brannigan does at higher levels.
Prospect Watch Archives
6/15: Shalin Polanco, Abrahan Gutierrez, Will Matthiessen
6/14: Nick Cimillo, Geovanny Planchart, Jesus Castillo
6/13: Brandan Bidios, Yordany De Los Santos, J.P. Massey
6/12: David Matoma, Jun-Seok Shim, Tsung-Che Cheng
The Prospect Watch runs every day at noon, featuring three players from the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.
