Minor League Baseball began this past week, with only the Triple-A players in action during an abbreviated week. As such, this week will have an abbreviated Prospect Watch.
Every Monday, I’ll be breaking down the best prospect performances from the previous week in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. I’ll note that this article doesn’t include Quinn Priester’s nine strikeout game on Sunday, as Priester is not prospect eligible. For that same reason, it doesn’t include the 5-for-15 with two doubles performance from Liover Peguero.
This week will see the remaining full-season teams begin their seasons in a shortened week, along with a full week from Indianapolis. This week only had three games from Indianapolis, but still had plenty of performances to follow, including the top prospect in the system.
Paul Skenes, RHP, Indianapolis
Skenes was perfect in his 2024 debut with Indianapolis. Last year’s first overall pick retired all nine batters he faced, striking out five and generating 12 whiffs. He added six called strikes for an overall 39% CSW. The fastball from Skenes averaged 100 MPH, and he hit triple digits 12 times on the day. The fastball led to six whiffs and two called strikes on 22 pitches. His slider had four whiffs on five swings, plus two called strikes in 13 overall pitches. His new splinker was thrown nine times, with two whiffs and three called strikes. He also threw a few curveballs. He threw 46 pitches, with 29 strikes, in a shortened outing. Skenes didn’t get extended during Spring Training, as the Pirates monitor his workload during his first full pro season. If he’s pitching like this across 5+ inning appearances, it will be difficult to keep him down in the minors.
Jared Jones, RHP, Pittsburgh
This was a big league game, but Jones is technically a prospect, so he’s included. Two hours after Skenes threw his first pitch on Saturday, Jones made his Major League debut. The right-hander led all of baseball on the day with 22 whiffs, which is one of the best performances in an MLB debut in the history of the majors. He struck out ten, making him the 31st pitcher in history to strike out ten in his debut. Jones had ten whiffs on his slider and 11 on the fastball. The fastball averaged 97 MPH, while the slider averaged just under 88. His hardest thrown pitch was 99.9 MPH. Eventually, Jones and Skenes are going to give opposing teams fits.
Nick Gonzales, 2B, Indianapolis
Gonzales had a great start to the 2024 season, going 6-for-15 over the weekend, with a homer and two doubles. The 2020 first round pick didn’t win a job on the Opening Day roster in Pittsburgh, and is likely number three on the depth charts for the second base job, behind Jared Triolo and Liover Peguero. He can move up the charts by hitting, and reducing the swing and miss against breaking stuff that has plagued him in the upper levels. In addition to his 1.133 OPS this weekend, Gonzales struck out in 25% of his at-bats.
Michael Plassmeyer, LHP, Indianapolis
Plassmeyer is in his age 27 season, but only has 11 innings in the majors, which gives him prospect eligibility. He made the Opening Day start for Indianapolis, allowing one run in four innings while striking out six. The lefty averaged 90 MPH with his fastball, and paired that with a slider averaging 77.8 MPH. He also threw a changeup and a cutter. The slider was the most effective pitch, with five whiffs and six called strikes, for a 52% CSW. He picked up two whiffs each on the fastball and changeup, with seven called strikes on the fastball. In total, 42% of his pitches were either whiffs or called strikes. He will be a depth option to follow, especially after the JT Brubaker trade.
Malcom Nunez, 3B/1B, Indianapolis
Nunez only went 3-for-13 this weekend, but he came up big with a home run on Sunday, giving Indianapolis a lead. The corner infielder struck out five times and didn’t draw a walk. He played first base once, and played two games at third base. Nunez would be a top depth option for first base, if he had a better track record. Coming into the year, he has a .683 OPS in 267 at-bats in Triple-A. Jake Lamb is ahead of him right now, and the veteran Lamb went 4-for-9 with a double and a homer this weekend.
Kyle Nicolas, RHP, Indianapolis
Nicolas made two appearances in relief, pitching a combined 2.1 shutout innings. He struck out two and allowed two walks. He also picked up his first save of the year, after 1.1 innings on Sunday. In that outing, his fastball averaged 97.1 MPH. His slider averaged 89.8 MPH, with two whiffs and two called strikes on seven pitches. In his debut on Friday, he picked up three whiffs and two called strikes on 15 fastballs, along with one of each on ten sliders.
Ryder Ryan, RHP, Pittsburgh
Ryan made the Pirates Opening Day roster due to injuries to Carmen Mlodzinski and Colin Holderman. He made his Pirates debut on Friday, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings in only his second MLB appearance. The right-hander worked off a sinker/slider approach, getting two whiffs on eight swings with the sinker, and two called strikes on ten pitches with the slider. His sinker averages 94, while the slider averages 84, giving good separation between the two pitches. Ryan will likely go back to Triple-A when the other relievers are healthy, but he’s a depth option the team can rely upon this year.
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