Paul Skenes makes his second appearance for Bradenton this afternoon. The right-handed pitcher was selected by the Pirates with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, and immediately became the top prospect in the system.
MLB Pipeline and Baseball America have each released their updated top 100 prospects, and updated team top 30s, following the draft. Below are the Pirates prospects who made each list.
Baseball America
4 – Paul Skenes
34 – Endy Rodriguez
66 – Jared Jones
79 – Termarr Johnson
5. Quinn Priester, RHP
6. Anthony Solometo, LHP
7. Liover Peguero, SS
8. Nick Gonzales, 2B
9. Bubba Chandler, RHP
10. Thomas Harrington, RHP
MLB Pipeline
3 – Paul Skenes
23 – Termarr Johnson
42 – Endy Rodriguez
74 – Jared Jones
89 – Anthony Solometo
98 – Quinn Priester
7. Nick Gonzales, 2B
8. Liover Peguero, SS
9. Bubba Chandler, RHP
10. Thomas Harrington, RHP
GREENSBORO COVERAGE
I’ve been in Greensboro this week, checking out the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This team is fun to watch on a nightly basis. The pitching at this level has some of the most intriguing arms in the system, with a legit pitching prospect to watch each night. The offense includes 2022 first rounder Termarr Johnson, along with a few other recent draft picks out of college who have stood out.
Be sure to check out all of the Prospect Watch articles this week for my daily reports. I’ll have a team report on Monday, and player features throughout the upcoming week.
Pirates Prospect Watch
Saturday: Termarr Johnson Returns and Hits a Grand Slam
Friday: Thomas Harrington Shines in Greensboro
Thursday: More Live Reports From Greensboro
Wednesday: Bubba Chandler’s Start and Live Reports From Greensboro
Tuesday: Po-Yu Chen and The Greensboro Power Bats
DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN
Termarr Johnson returned to the Greensboro lineup last night, and crushed this grand slam in his second at-bat.
Grand slam! Termarr Johnson is back! pic.twitter.com/MFFFIt1b7Z
— Tim Williams (@TimWilliamsP2) August 19, 2023
J.P. Massey pitched three shutout innings. Watch the 2023 MLB Future’s Game participant strike out two in the third.
J.P. Massey strikes out two in the third inning. Massey represented the #Pirates in the MLB Future's Game last month. pic.twitter.com/WzBqGG5eVC
— Tim Williams (@TimWilliamsP2) August 19, 2023
QUICK PIRATES RECAP
PIRATES (55-68) AT Twins
Score: Pirates 7, Twins 4
Pittsburgh Starter: Mitch Keller, RHP (4.22)
–Line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Andrew McCutchen, DH (2-for-5, HR [11], 2 RBI)
Attendance: 23,822
Notable Performers
- Ji Hwan Bae, 2B (1-for-3, 2 BB, 2B)
- Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B (2-for-5, RBI)
- Jason Delay, C (2-for-3, BB, 2B)
One Sentence Recap: Andrew McCutchen’s 298th homer gave the Pirates enough in the late innings to secure the win, after Mitch Keller struck out 12.
BULLPEN GAME TODAY
The Pirates are starting left-hander Ryan Borucki in today’s game, going with a bullpen effort at the MLB level. I’m glad they’re moving to this outside the box type strategy.
SONG OF THE DAY
If I had to lose a mile
If I had to touch feelings
I would lose my soul
The way I do
I don’t have to think
I only have to do it
The results are always perfect
And that’s old news
Would you like to hear my voice
Sprinkled with emotion
Invented at your birth?
+ posts
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.
How much longer do we have to watch horrible plate umpires like las Diaz ruin baseball games. I was so excited to watch the game today, and it ends in complete frustration that I spent 3 hours watching an umpire ruin the game. I love baseball but I can’t watch these horrible umpires much longer.
Diaz is one of the worst, if not the worst…his incompetence and arrogance is why I can’t wait for automated balls/strikes calls, or at least a change to the rules to allow manages to challenge up to x balls/strikes.
It’s hard to enjoy a game when there’s an ump that thinks we’re all tuning in to watch him. But the real problem isn’t rogue umps like Diaz, who may have been “getting even” with the Pirates after they gave a member of his crew trouble the other night, it’s the entire union who refuse to hold each other accountable. In any other professional league, an official like Diaz would long ago have been out of a job.
I’ve been to minor league games with the challenge and with the automated. I prefer the automated. When they challenge, they are just going to the automated anyway, which answers right away. It is almost like they are hiding the correct answer until asked.
I agree with everything in your post. Spot on.
I’ve said before, I think it is possible for the future Pirates to have their pitching staff consist of 8 to 10 quality pitchers that are capable of throwing 4 plus innings. I know this is untraditional, but this gives many options.
TW,
You’ve really peaked my interest in the Grasshoppers to the point I think I’m drivin’ down there over Labrador Day weekend for the last couple games. Tips on cheap lodging in the area?
Wabbit
I always go Priceline express to keep costs down.
Weather (looks promising) and schedule permitting, I hope to be in Rome, GA to see the Hoppers on Tuesday. Bubba should be due to pitch. He has been following Chen and Chen threw today. I hope they don’t get cute with Monday being an off day.
If you got a van, I know a place down by the river.
Given that Endy is about to graduate off of BA’s list, it’s not a very impressive list after Cherington’s complete tear down.
I’m not that worried because we have guys outside the list that could breakout (but every team’s fans could say the same, I guess). It just seems that when other GMs have implemented what Cherington’s attempting to do, they end up flooding the top 100 with 6-8 prospects when they’re on the cusp of competitiveness and we’re about to drop down to 3 overall and 1 in the top 65, and it would look worse if we hadn’t won the lottery last year.
Have we gotten better at acquiring and developing talent beyond taking advantage of having top five picks each of the last three years?
I wouldn’t care about the list placement if we had a MLB team that was like .500 with young guys like Hank/Endy/Q leading that charge. But we’re not, cause this management team can’t develop for squat and makes poor decisions.
There are a lot of worrisome trends–it seems too many of our top prospects start off well but as soon as the league adjusts to them, they seem lost. I attribute this largely to a major league coaching staff that doesn’t know how to continue the development process once players reach the majors. Of course there’s Keller! But can we point to any other young player who has improved under Shelton and staff?
Or maybe our players just aren’t that good. But whether it’s development at the major league level (Shelton) or lack of talent to begin with (Cherington), changes need to be made.
“it seems too many of our top prospects start off well but as soon as the league adjusts to them, they seem lost”
This is a flaw in scouting. They have traditionally added a lot of players who had no real self confidence. This is common for kids. We’re all raised being told what to do. That way works for some people, until it doesn’t. When it stops working, they need to do the mental work to figure out who they are and what they want to be. Plus, what they can become.
The cheat code is drafting players who were making adult decisions by 18-22, and giving them confidence in their decisions and abilities. This is where the new development group has vastly improved in methodology and I think eventual success.
Where is the evidence that the new development group has vastly improved in methodology?
I used to talk to players every year who took their career into their own hands with training outside the Pirates. They’d come into spring training excited, only to be told they don’t know what really works. They’d have the same methods forced upon them.
Now? Players are free to seek outside training and bring it in. That’s just one example.
This would mean a lot more if we actually saw that outside development coincide with producing good MLB players. So it’s Mitch who fits that example you have and that’s about it. Also, while it’s admirable that players are allowed to have agency regarding their own development, doesn’t it at least raise eyebrows as to why this internal development couldn’t unlock improvements in the first place?
Not to admit this too freely, but occasionally listening to DK’s daily podcasts on the Bucs, it very well could be both drafting and development. Both can be true.
As for other players who improved…Jack? I mean, no one in the industry was really high on him as a prospect and even as frustrating as he is, he’s an MLB contributor.
Drafting and development should go hand in hand. Establish a development system, then draft the right players into that system.
do the Pirates ever win one of these bullpen games?
Yes, in fact right before the draft, which was my snarky reason for why they drafted so many college relievers! Unfortunately, a 26-man roster only allows for so many bullpen games but we’ll be ready if MLB decides to allow 30-man rosters so that every game can be a bullpen game.
Actually, Skenes, Keller, Oviedo and two bullpen games might be a winning formula.
I am Groot.