Former Pirates First Rounder Traded to Brewers
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PITTSBURGH — A former Pittsburgh Pirates first round MLB Draft selection is returning to the National League Central Division.
Robert Murray, an MLB Insider for FanSided, reported that the Milwaukee Brewers acquired right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester from the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Yophery Rodriguez, Competitive Balance Round A Selection and a Player to be Named Later (PTBNL).
The Pirates drafted Priester with the No. 18 overall pick in 2019 out of Cary-Grove High School in Cary, Ill., about 50 miles north west of Chicago.
Priester chose to play for the Pirates instead of TCU, who he committed to, and signed for $3.4 million.
He spent 2021-22 in the minors, with the 2020 minor league season cancelled due to COVID-19.
Priester started the 2023 season with the Indianapolis Indians in Triple-A, where he had a 7-3 record, 4.31 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 87.2 innings pitched, before the Pirates called him up on July 17.
His first game was a start against the Cleveland Guardians that same day, where he struggled, allowing seven hits and seven runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Priester would have his difficulties in his rookie season with the Pirates, finishing with a 7.74 ERA in 50.0 innings of work. He started eight of 10 games, allowing 43 earned runs, 58 hits, 12 home runs, 27 walks and making 36 strikeouts.
The Pirates chose to go with Jared Jones over Priester for the start of the 2024 season, optioning him to Indianapolis.
Priester earned his call-up in April this season and would make six starts in 10 appearances. He had a 2-6 record, 5.04 ERA, 44.2 innings pitched, allowing 52 hits, 25 earned runs, seven home runs, 13 walks, while making 31 strikeouts.
His final appearance for the Pirates came on July 27 where he had a tough outing, allowing five earned runs in 4.0 innings of work, taking the loss in the 9-5 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Pirates would trade Priester to the Red Sox for second baseman Nick Yorke, who is now their No. 5 rated prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
He started nine games for Triple-A Worcester, with a 5.40 ERA in 38.1 innings and 42 strikeouts to 12 walks. He also started one game for the Red Sox vs. the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 29, allowing on earned run over five innings in the 3-1 win.
Priester started one game this season for Worcester before going to Milwaukee, where he may face Pittsburgh again in the near future.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.