During an early part of Spring Training, Pittsburgh Pirates farm director John Baker was watching Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jared Triolo, and Jack Brannigan taking grounders at third base.
Hayes is the reigning National League Gold Glove winner at the position, and makes the hot corner look easy at the Major League level. Triolo has won a minor league Gold Glove at the position, and provides the Pirates with luxury depth at third base. Brannigan just completed his first full season in pro ball last year, and has the plus defensive ability to add to the trophy case.
As Baker was watching the infield drills, he asked the person next to him “If you went anywhere else on planet Earth, would you find three better defensive third baseman?”
It’s an unlikely excess of defensive riches.
All three players were drafted by the Pirates, which shows that somewhere along the lines of drafting and developing, they have a tendency to find people who make one of the hardest defensive positions look easy.
“I think we’re just lucky to get a Ke’ a Tri and then a Jack,” said Baker.
Brannigan played all over the infield in 2023, getting most of his time at third base, but also playing shortstop and second base in that order. He displays plus defensive abilities at all three positions, and Baker calls him a shortstop who can play third and second better than most people.
“He’s a specimen of an athlete,” said Baker. “Very good shortstop, which has been exciting for us to make that kind of positional shift to the primary spot.”
Brannigan was managed by Robby Hammock last year in Greensboro, who got to see him play 159.2 innings at shortstop, 101.2 innings at third base, and 67 innings at second.
“He’s a monster defensively,” said Hammock at the end of 2023. “He’s an elite defender. He’s got some serious tools, he’s got some power, he’s just got a lot of ability.”
A Two-Way Player to a Versatile Plus Infielder
The Pirates drafted Brannigan in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Notre Dame. He was drafted as a two-way player, after pitching and playing in the field in college. Those plans of being a two-way player were eventually scrapped.
Brannigan was hurt pitching the final weekend of the regular season in college. The Pirates asked him about pitching when he entered the organization, and Brannigan informed them that he could pitch, but hadn’t thrown since he was shut down. The decision was made to only focus on hitting in 2022. That carried over to the 2023 season.
“I think conversations that they had internally, they just decided that it’d be better to focus on one instead of trying to throw everything on my plate at once,” said Brannigan when I talked with him at the end of last season. “As of right now, I’m only focusing on the hitting, but they said that the doors open in the future, just never know what’s going to happen.”
Brannigan’s extra focus has gone to refining his defensive abilities at the other positions on the field. The time away from pitching has also helped him to focus on his hitting. He can play shortstop, but third base is his best position. It’s not the position he’s always played.
“Growing up, I mostly played shortstop [and] second base,” said Brannigan, who also got some work in center field. “And then I actually switched over to third base in college. We had some other guys [at shortstop] ahead of me, and there was an open spot at third.”
Brannigan remained at third base for his entire college career. The Pirates wanted to introduce a secondary position when he arrived, which led to his work at second base. Eventually, the idea was brought up for him to play shortstop again. When the Pirates asked Brannigan, he was on board.
“I was, like, ‘Absolutely!’ I played there in high school. I loved it,” said Brannigan. “I’m happy that I get to move around a little bit. It definitely adds a different variety to the weeks as you get to move around and play different positions every day.”
As for pitching, Brannigan said that he’s fine with any outcome for the future of being a two-way player. He did note that not having to worry about throwing bullpens or managing a pitching routine has allowed for an easier workload.
“It’s kind of like an extra load off my plate,” said Brannigan. “So it’s been a little easier. It’s kind of nice.”
Baker relayed the same results of the conversations with Brannigan about defense.
“When we asked him ‘Where do you feel most comfortable playing?’ He says ‘On defense,'” said Baker. “Anywhere. Anywhere on the field, he’s good. I joked with him one time I said, ‘What about centerfield?’ He said ‘No problem.'”
Not Just a Defender, But a Power Bat
What stands out about Brannigan isn’t that he can play shortstop or Gold Glove calibre defense at third. It’s that he can also hit for easy plus power at those premium positions.
He hit 19 home runs last year between Bradenton and Greensboro, adding four more in his time in the Arizona Fall League over the offseason. The disclaimer to the power is that he has some swing and miss to his game, which showed up at all three spots.
“I think that we still haven’t seen the best version of Jack as a hitter,” said Baker. “He had a hot stretch in Greensboro and he performed. Had some good bouts of performance in Bradenton. Focused on all the right things, very smart, very thoughtful. Can’t sneak anything by that kid.”
Brannigan had some issues at the start of last year with his posture at the plate. He had a tendency to bend at the waist a little, rather than staying tall and generating power from the legs. He also adjusted his focus to the top of the zone, adjusting downward.
“I think that I kind of got in some trouble a little bit when I was looking for pitches lower and then trying to adjust up, I was just getting beat by velo,” said Brannigan. “I think that focusing on the top of the zone adjusting downward has helped me see some success.”
Brannigan is a smart player, who went back to Notre Dame and graduated in the offseason in 2022 after being drafted as a third rounder. He can play all over the field, hit for power, and the swing and miss is the main thing holding him back. He returned to Greensboro this year to continue that development focus. It’s only been three games as of this writing, but the 14 plate appearances in those games have seen Brannigan hit one home run, with zero strikeouts. That’s a good start.
The Next in the Line?
Brannigan is one of the best position player prospects in the system. He’s graded high due to the plus defense at premium positions, along with the easy plus power. If he can unlock the adjustment to avoid swing and miss, he’s going to be a force of a player on both sides of the game. And the Pirates would have no shortage of defensive standouts at third base.
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Last week’s premium article drop looked at the top 50 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. This week looks at five hitters who can grade inside the top 30, plus a look at the path from rookie ball to the majors.
**Williams: The Path From Rookie Ball to the Major Leagues
In this subscriber-exclusive column, I give my view of the journey from Rookie Ball to the Major Leagues, and the elements that every player deals with along the way.
**Jack Brannigan is the Next Gold Glove Quality Third Baseman in the Pirates System – READING
The Pirates have Gold Glove third basemen in Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo. They’ve got another candidate in the system in power hitter Jack Brannigan.
**Mitch Jebb Brings Elite Speed and Swing Decisions to Greensboro
With so many three-true-outcome approaches in pro ball, 2023 second round pick Mitch Jebb brings a refreshing style of contact, speed, and hustle.
**Jase Bowen Has a Power/Speed/Defense Combo to Dream Upon
Following a 20-20 season in Greensboro, and with the ability to play center field or first base, Jase Bowen is a prospect with a lot of upside to dream upon.
**Tres Gonzales Brings Advanced Hitting Approach to Altoona
One of the most advanced hitters I watched last year was Tres Gonzales. His approach isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done with contact, on-base skills, and a bit of power.
**Rodolfo Nolasco Has Huge Power and Huge Swing and Miss
Some of the best raw power in the system belongs to Rodolfo Nolasco. He showed that with 20 homers in Single-A in 2023. He’ll need to improve the swing and miss to repeat at the higher levels.
