Pirates Pitching Prospects Boost Farm System Ranking
Few teams boast the kind of impact pitchers the Pittsburgh Pirates have waiting in the wings in their minor league system.
Because of the depth of arms Pittsburgh has, which is headlined by right-handed pitcher and top prospect Bubba Chandler, it ranked 15th in Joel Reuter's rankings of every team's farm system for Bleacher Report.
"Even after graduating Paul Skenes and Jared Jones to the majors, the Pirates still have a wealth of pitching talent rising the minor league ranks, and it's not out of the question to think Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington and Braxton Ashcraft could all start games in 2025," Reuter writes. "It has been years since this system produced an impact position player, but they know how to develop arms."
Reuter ranked the Pirates' prospects as follows:
1. RHP Bubba Chandler
2. SS Konnor Griffin
3. RHP Thomas Harrington
4. 2B Termarr Johnson
5. RHP Braxton Ashcraft
6. RHP Zander Mueth
7. 2B Nick Yorke
8. LHP Hunter Barco
9. RHP Levi Sterling
10. SS Wyatt Sanford
Chandler, Harrington and Ashcraft all reached Triple-A Indianapolis last season and are on the verge of reaching the big leagues in 2025. Trading right-handed starting pitcher Luis Ortiz to the Cleveland Guardians as part of the deal for first baseman Spencer Horwitz makes room for one of the trio of right-handed pitching prospects to break camp with the Pirates out of Spring Training.
The Pirates' farm system was third among National League Central teams, trailing the Chicago Cubs (No. 5) and Milwaukee Brewers (No. 9).
Reuter graded the prospects by tier. Chandler, Griffin and Harrington were tier one, while Johnson, Ashcraft, Mueth and Yorke were tier two. Barco, Sterling and Sanford rounded things out in tier three.
The development of their young players will be key in the Pirates getting over the hump and being in the thick of the NL playoff race. Griffin already being the team's top position player prospect after he was the team's first-round pick in 2024 is a promising sign but also shows the lack of depth.
If the Pirates can add more impact position players to balance out their pitching and they make their way to the big leagues, it'd go a long way toward turning them into a contender in the National League.
