The Pittsburgh Pirates completed their trade of JT Brubaker with the New York Yankees on Tuesday, receiving infielder Keiner Delgado as the player to be named later. Delgado was the 22nd best prospect in the Yankees system according to Baseball America pre-season rankings.
The Yankees signed Delgado out of Venezuela in May 2021, and sent him to the Dominican Summer League for his debut in 2022. He batted .310/.504/.506 with three homers and 34 stolen bases. That was followed by a promotion to the US, where he hit .293/.414/.485 in the Florida Complex League, with eight homers and 36 steals.
Delgado has yet to play a game in 2024, and could go to one of two destinations for the Pirates. They could promote him to Single-A Bradenton, giving him a look in more formal games against more advanced competition. They could also ease him into the system back at the FCL level, which starts in the next week.
Currently in his age-20 season, Delgado looks like a promising lower level prospect, continuing a trend by the Pirates to trade for younger, unproven players who they can develop. He joins a group of promising hitters at the same level who the Pirates have acquired, including outfielder Estuar Suero (Rich Hill/Ji Man Choi trade) and infielder Jhonny Severino (Carlos Santana trade).
Baseball America noted that Delgado rarely misses or chases with his swing decisions, while lacking impact. He profiles as a second baseman due to an average arm and fair range. Delgado grades as an above-average hitter, a plus runner, and an above-average fielder. If the Pirates can add some power to the profile, it would improve his stock.
Next week on Pirates Prospects is the first update to the top 50 prospect rankings. At that point, I’ll have Delgado in the latest update. For now, my quick look is that he’s a top 30 guy in this system, and possibly a top 20 guy. Considering Brubaker was going to be limited to second-half innings this year, with one more season of control, this is a good return.
