The Indianapolis Indians finished the 2024 season with a 77-70 record, missing out on the second half title by four games.
They started the season with the top pitching prospect and the top prospect in the system, Paul Skenes. They ended the season with the same situation, with Bubba Chandler replacing Skenes at the top of the system. Most of the pitching on the team this year was Major League depth, with prospects joining at the end.
Offensively, Indianapolis ranked sixth in the league in OPS, with below-average strikeout totals. That’s one of the better results throughout the system. It also comes from a veteran group that had very few long-term starting prospects on the position player side at the start of the season, and fewer at the end of the year.
Below are the hitter and pitcher of the year, the top 10 prospects at the level, notable performers, and the early 2025 outlook.
Indianapolis Indians 2024 Top Performers
For the 2024 Indianapolis Indians hitter and pitcher of the year, preference was given to full-season performers.
Hitter of the Year: Matt Gorski – .257/.319/.522, 23 HR, 15 SB, 389 AB
Matt Gorski spent 15 games at the Triple-A level at the end of 2023, with a .676 OPS. He returned full-time in 2024 and was one of the most consistent power bats in the lineup. Gorski hit 23 home runs, adding 24 doubles and five stolen bases. The speed on the bases also led to 15 steals. Overall, Gorski hit .257/.319/.522 in his first full season at the Triple-A level. He improved as the season progressed, finishing with a .304/.344/.607 line with four homers in 56 at-bats in August, followed by a .259/.355/.463 line with three homers in 54 at-bats in September. Gorski stole seven bases in nine attempts during those months. On the season, Gorski had a ten home run lead over the next best Indianapolis hitter, while also leading the team in stolen bases and finishing second in doubles.
Pitcher of the Year: Isaac Mattson – 3.15 ERA, 76:33 K/BB, 60 IP, 29 G
The Pirates had a lot of their top starting pitching prospects at this level, but none had significant playing time. The shuffling of the rotation throughout the year put a lot of pressure on the innings of the long relievers, especially the ones who handled multiple roles. The pitcher who handled this the best was Isaac Mattson. He had the sixth most innings for Indianapolis this year. The five players ahead had worse ERAs than Mattson, and only two players had more strikeouts. None of them had a better WHIP. Where Mattson really stood out was his leading .208 BAA. Not only was he one of the best strikeout pitchers on the team this year, but he also was unhittable. He’s finishing his season in the Major League bullpen.
Indianapolis Indians Top 10 Prospects
The players below had prospect eligibility when they joined Indianapolis, even if they didn’t finish the season with the same eligibility.
- Paul Skenes, RHP – The Pirates started their top prospect in Triple-A this year, giving Skenes seven starts and 27.1 innings of destroying Triple-A hitters before they felt he was ready to do the same to Major Leaguers. He had a 45:8 K/BB in Indianapolis, with a .175 average against. He also did go on to destroy Major League hitters after being promoted.
- Bubba Chandler, RHP – Bookending the season with the system’s top pitching and overall prospects, Indianapolis had Chandler for seven starts at the end of the year. Chandler had a 1.83 ERA in 39.1 innings, with a 54:15 K/BB and a .183 average against. He looked like a guy who could pitch in the Majors this year, but the Pirates have no reason to rush him onto the 40-man roster and start his option years. He’s likely to be a Triple-A depth option next year, with a chance to join the Majors mid-season.
- Thomas Harrington, RHP – Another top prospect who joined the team late, and another 2025 Major League rotation depth option, Harrington made eight starts for Indianapolis. He had a 3.33 ERA in 46 innings, with a 38:8 K/BB, an 0.93 WHIP, and a .212 average against. Harrington was the runner-up to Mattson for the pitcher of the year honors, but only spent a little over a month at the level. He should return in 2025, with a chance to join the Pirates’ rotation by mid-season.
- Nick Yorke, INF/OF – The Pirates added Yorke in a trade deadline deal, sending out frequent Indianapolis pitcher Quinn Priester. Receiving Yorke from the Red Sox, they got a middle infielder who can also play the outfield. It didn’t take them long to try Yorke in center field, which is a new position for him. He adjusted his swing and approach with Boston, put up good Triple-A numbers prior to the trade, and hit .355/.431/.507 after the trade. He has since been called up to the Majors for the remainder of the season.
- Nick Gonzales, INF – At the start of the season, the Pirates went with Jared Triolo at second base in the Majors, while sending Gonzales down to Triple-A to work on his new swing. He hit .356/.429/.600 in Triple-A this year, getting a promotion in early May as the replacement for Triolo. He returned to Indianapolis for some rehab work at the end of the year, but has returned to his regular starter role since.
- Billy Cook, OF/1B – The Pirates added Cook at the trade deadline for minor league pitcher Patrick Reilly. The Orioles outfielder was coming off a season where he hit 24 homers with 30 stolen bases in Double-A. He carried the hitting improvements, including a reduction in strikeouts, over to Triple-A. After the trade, Cook hit .276/.389/.486 with five homers and nine stolen bases. He played first base and all three outfield spots. Cook has since been promoted to the Majors, where he’s hit two homers already.
- Mike Burrows, RHP – Returning from Tommy John surgery this year, Burrows made it back to Indianapolis, where he was shut down after his second start last season. He had a 4.06 ERA in 37.2 innings, with a 45:15 K/BB. He showed promise with his swing and miss, as well as his ability to shut down opposing lineups. The consistency was off, though this is common with pitchers returning from Tommy John. Burrows should open the 2025 season in the Indianapolis rotation, serving as a rotation depth option for the Pirates.
- Braxton Ashcraft, RHP – Ashcraft pitched 19.1 innings for Indianapolis, but went down with a forearm injury. The good news is he had an 0.47 ERA in his limited time in Triple-A, with a 14:4 K/BB. The bad news is that he was returning from Tommy John, so any issue with his forearm is a concern. Ashcraft is a Major League option when healthy, though the injury history could shift him to the bullpen. He would still be lights out as a power reliever in that move.
- Matt Gorski, CF – The hitter of the year will be entering his age 27 season next year. He’s old for a prospect, though the pandemic robbed him of some time. Gorski was drafted in the second round in 2019. He always had the potential to be a power/speed/defense center fielder. Unless the Pirates call him up for the final week of the season, he will likely go through the Rule 5 gambit this coming offseason.
- Aaron Shortridge, RHP – The Pirates had Shortridge at the level for 48.2 innings, pitching in a swingman role. He had a 5.18 ERA and a 40:20 K/BB. Shortridge works off a six pitch mix, and could be more effective working as a long-reliever with a more narrow pitch focus. He could factor into the Triple-A rotation in 2025, but has a better shot at the Majors in Pittsburgh if he moves to the bullpen.
Notable Performances
Liover Peguero started the year in the second base race with Triolo and Gonzales. Peguero finished with a .729 OPS that was below the Triple-A league average. He hit for a .775 OPS in April, but didn’t return to that level until August, with an .860 OPS. Peguero didn’t repeat those numbers in September. The good news is that he’s young, entering his age 24 season next year. The downside is that he has an even more crowded middle infield picture shaping up around him, and below him in the lower levels.
The Pirates had several hitters shuffling in and out of the Major Leagues. The best at the Triple-A level were Henry Davis (.956 OPS) and Ji Hwan Bae (.937 OPS). Neither was able to carry their offense to the Major League level.
Billy McKinney, with an .866 OPS, and Joshua Palacios, with an .861 OPS, were both used as Major League depth options this year. Alika Williams, with a .780 OPS in Triple-A, was also a Major League depth option.
Jack Suwinski had 180 at-bats in Triple-A, posting a below-average .751 OPS. He started hitting at the end of the season, but it was an overall down year for the outfielder. Suwinski was above-average in the Majors in his first full season in 2023, then dropped to below-average in Triple-A.
Edward Olivares made a similar decline. He showed some promise in the second half with Kansas City last year, leading to the Pirates trading for him last offseason. He didn’t hit in the Majors, and was below average in Triple-A, with a .722 OPS.
Malcom Nunez was well below average with a .675 OPS in his third season at the Triple-A level. He’s always gotten a disclaimer that he’s young, but he’s declining each year, and enters his age 24 season next year. The Pirates acquired Nunez in the 2022 deadline deal for Jose Quintana.
On the pitching side, Jake Woodford joined the team as a veteran starter with Major League history in June. He went on to serve as a Major League rotation depth option during two stretches of the season, while putting up a 2.44 ERA for Indianapolis in 44.1 innings.
Early 2025 Outlook
The end of the 2024 season offered a preview of the Opening Day roster for the 2025 Indianapolis Indians.
The Pirates will feature a prospect-heavy rotation, led by Chandler and Harrington, with Burrows getting an unrestricted season, and Ashcraft hopefully healthy. One notable move for 2025 was that the Pirates promoted Eddy Yean to the bullpen for two shutout innings at the end of the season.
The hitting side will depend on what the Pirates do this offseason, and who gets pushed down from the Major League level. The Pirates did promote Tsung-Che Cheng at the end of the season. He went 6-for-13 with a double, four walks, and a stolen base.
2025 looks to be another season where the Pirates will be strong on pitching depth in Triple-A, with minimal hitting depth. If they have the latter available, it will be due to additions that forced guys like Yorke and Cook to the minors as depth. If they’re weak on starting pitching depth, it will be due to trades that are likely meant to fix the problems on offense.
