Could Pirates Top Prospect Be Their Next Closer?
With young arms making up most of their starting rotation and a trio of top pitching prospects knocking on the door of the big leagues, the Pittsburgh Pirates will have some decisions to make.
Pittsburgh could opt to use their pitching depth to add a much-needed bat or two, or they can shift a starting pitcher or two to the bullpen, which would address another key need after they ranked 27th in ERA. Baseball America projected the Pirates' roster in 2028 and had Braxton Ashcraft as the team's closer.
Pirates reliever David Bednar was removed from the closer role after struggling for much of last season and blowing seven saves. Pittsburgh was tied for second in blown leads in the ninth inning last season.
The Pirates' starting rotation had Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and top prospects Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington to round things out. Chandler is the Pirates' top-ranked prospect by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, while Harrington is No. 5 by MLB Pipeline. Ashcraft is ranked No. 4 by MLB Pipeline.
In MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects, the Pirates are the only team to have three pitching prospects make the list, with Chandler coming in at No. 15, Ashcraft is No. 85 and Harrington is No. 91.
Ashcraft being the one of the three to make the move to the bullpen makes plenty of sense. His stuff plays well in relief, as Baseball America listed the hard-throwing right-hander as having the best slider and curveball in the Pirates' farm system and he's struck out over nine batters per nine innings in each of his last three seasons. He also hasn't pitched more than 73 innings in a season as a pro and has dealt with his share of injuries, which includes him missing all of the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery.
With the Pirates' depth in the big leagues and throughout their system, the numbers don't add up for Chandler, Harrington and Ashcraft to all be in their starting rotation. If Pittsburgh isn't going to use one of its top arms in the minor leagues to acquire a bat or an established reliever, shifting one of its top prospects to the bullpen and potentially having a closer for the foreseeable future bodes well for all parties involved.
