This week, I updated my top 50 tiered prospect rankings, incorporating the half-season results of the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league players into a system ranking that no longer includes two of the game’s best young pitchers at the top.
The top 30 prospects were contained in the top five tiers of the system, broken down into tiers of potential starters and prospect depth who have a good chance of eventually being seen as future starters. The final tier consisted of twenty “Sleepers”.
The players in this tier all have a chance to reach the majors, although there’s usually a question about their game that is holding them back from the top 30. I didn’t write about any of these players in the extensive prospect update I did this week. Since I’ve been writing about sleeper prospects every Saturday, I figured today was a perfect day to assess the final 20 prospects in my latest top 50.
This article, and that top 50 article from earlier in the week, are mostly for Patreon supporters, as an appreciation for the continuation of support for the 16th season of this Pirates Prospects project. Below are my top three sleepers in the system, plus reports on 17 more players for you Patreons. If you aren’t a supporter, it’s $5 per month, and this month will get you full access to this site’s draft and trade deadline coverage.
Pittsburgh Pirates Sleeper Prospects
Javier Rivas, INF – Rivas is one of my favorite sleepers in the Pirates’ system. At 6′ 6″, he gives the Pirates another tall, impactful shortstop to follow. He’s had some of the hardest contact in Bradenton this year, but it hasn’t always led to hits. Since the start of June, he’s batting .324/.384/.588 with six homers in 113 plate appearances, with his hard contact translating to consistent results.
Mitch Jebb, INF – The Pirates took Jebb last year in the second round, and he’s struggled for the most part in High-A this year. He was drafted as a guy who could make contact, get on base with advanced plate patience, and use his speed for value. He’s showing some of those abilities this year, especially with the speed leading to 21 steals and three triples. He’s also getting on base at a .421 rate since the start of June, getting better in more recent games.
Luis Peralta, LHP – Peralta has been used strictly as a lefty reliever this year. He was lights out in Greensboro, with an 0.60 ERA in 30 innings, along with a 50:15 K/BB ratio. He’s since moved up to Altoona, where he’s combined for 4.2 shutout innings in three appearances, with a 7:2 K/BB ratio. He’s now at a level where his abilities as a shutdown reliever will be tested for the remainder of the year.
