Another Pitching Prospect on Pirates 'Radar'
Few teams are trying to test the theory you can never have enough pitching like the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Even after calling up Paul Skenes and Jared Jones in 2024, the Pirates still have top pitching prospects on the cusp of reaching the majors. Among them is right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington. MLB.com's Alex Stumpf listed three players who played their way onto the Pirates' radar and noted how Harrington's breakout year last season fully grasped the attention of the Pirates and talent evaluators.
"Harrington entered the season with some intriguing peripherals and the pedigree of being the No. 36 overall Draft pick in 2022, but he was lost in the shuffle a bit given the other pitching prospects in the system," Stumpf writes. "That changed in '24, when he recorded a 2.61 ERA with 115 strikeouts over 117 1/3 innings between Single-A Bradenton, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He pitches off his four-seam fastball, which gets plenty of movement, and can go into a six-pitch mix to finish hitters. Others took notice, too, and Harrington is now an MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospect."
Harrington is the Pirates' No. 5 ranked prospect and the No. 91 ranked prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. Bubba Chandler, the Pirates' top-ranked prospect, is No. 15 in MLB Pipeline's rankings and their No. 4 prospect, Braxton Ashcraft, is the No. 91 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline.
Across Single-A Bradenton, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, Harrington went 7-3 with a 2.61 ERA and struck out 115 batters over 177.1 innings pitched. Harrington made just one start in Single-A before being called up to Double-A, where he made 12 starts and one appearance out of the bullpen. Harrington was 2-2 with a 2.24 ERA, striking out 74 batters in his 68.1 innings pitched.
In Indianapolis, Harrington started eight games and went 5-1 with a 3.33 ERA, pitching 46 innings and striking out 38 batters.
Given the Pirates' recent track record of drafting and developing their pitching prospects, Harrington may not be far off from making an impact in 2025 if and/or when they need an arm.
