Could Pirates Move Pitching Prospect To Bullpen?
With an obvious need in the bullpen and quality starting pitchers littered throughout their farm system, could the Pittsburgh Pirates lean on them to fix one of their biggest needs?
MLB.com's Alex Stumpf broke down the Pirates' current situation with their bullpen and pitching prospects who are knocking on the door of reaching the big leagues. Stumpf noted that right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft could be among the candidates who make a shift from being a starting pitcher to a reliever upon being called up by the Pirates.
"The Pirates haven’t had discussions about Braxton Ashcraft going into the bullpen, but his stuff would absolutely play there, and it could be a way to manage his innings," Stumpf wrote. "Mike Burrows also has good stuff and could be a swing man. Obviously, you need starting-pitching depth, so you can’t convert everyone into a reliever, but they showed last year with Luis Ortiz that a trip to the bullpen doesn’t close the door on starting, and this team needs to deepen its bullpen pool."
Ashcraft is the Pirates' No. 4 ranked prospect and No. 85 in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. In 2024, he went 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA across 16 appearances for Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis and struck out 77 batters over 73 innings pitched.
The amount Ashcraft has pitched compared to the Pirates' top prospect Bubba Chandler and No. 5 ranked prospect Thomas Harrington could also point toward Ashcraft being a better fit in the bullpen. Chandler has made 51 appearances, including 48 starts over the last two seasons, while Harrington has made 48 appearances since 2023, with one being out of the bullpen.
Chandler is ranked as the No. 15 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, while Harrington is the Pirates' No. 5 prospect and No. 91 in all of baseball.
Ashcraft has made 35 appearances over the last two years and missed all of the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. He also had a forearm injury this season that caused him to only make one appearance after July 6.
Improving the bullpen should be near or atop the Pirates' needs this offseason after they ranked 27th in ERA last season and were among the worst in holding onto leads late in the game, including blowing the second-most leads in the ninth inning. It'd also save Pittsburgh money compared to having to spend on a reliever or two in free agency.
Moving Ashcraft to the bullpen could preserve his arm for the long run while also addressing a key weakness from last season, and given the Pirates' starting pitching depth in the majors and their farm system, it may be the best move for both heading into the 2025 season.
