Pirates' Farm System Drops In ESPN's Rankings

The Pittsburgh Pirates farm system has some work to do.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who was the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft at the batting cage before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who was the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft at the batting cage before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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With Paul Skenes and Jared Jones announcing their presence in the big leagues last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system took a bit of a hit in ESPN's rankings.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked the Pirates' farm system as the 20th best in baseball, citing the loss of Skenes. He also noted that the Pirates' top prospect, right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, could eventually give Pittsburgh another star alongside Skenes and center fielder Oneil Cruz. Pittsburgh was 14th in ESPN's rankings last season.

"The whole organization has a different feel after the emergence of Paul Skenes," McDaniel writes. "Oneil Cruz might be the only other potential star on the big league roster, but that's two more than some teams have, and Bubba Chandler could make it a trio by the middle of 2025. Konnor Griffin is arguably the prospect with the highest variance in the top 100, so he certainly could turn into a superstar; however, this system is in a brief down cycle as the big league team is full of the last couple of years of graduates. Pittsburgh might have to now start to balance competing in the short term and long term, a welcome change after six straight losing seasons."

Pittsburgh was last among teams in the National League Central. The Milwaukee Brewers were 8th, while the Chicago Cubs weren't far behind at No. 10. The Cincinnati Reds were ranked 13th and the St. Louis Cardinals landed at 19th.

The Pirates had four players in ESPN's top 100 rankings; Chandler, second baseman Termarr Johnson, shortstop Konnor Griffin and right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft. Of the players ranked between 101 and 200, right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington was 162nd and shortstop Jack Brannigan was 193rd.

On the heels of back-to-back 76-86 seasons and being a franchise that rarely spends money in free agency, the Pirates need their top prospects to eventually make an impact when they arrive in the big leagues. If they can't then Pittsburgh could continue to struggle as it looks for its first playoff appearance since 2015.

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