Pirates Place Four on Top 100 MLB Prospects List
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have some of the top prospects in the MLB, who they hope will come up to the MLB sooner rather than later.
Keith Law of The Athletic released his top 100 MLB prospects list and placed four Pirates in there, with right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler at No. 19, second baseman Nick Yorke at No. 50, outfielder, shortstop Konnor Griffin at No. 84 and second baseman Termarr Johnson at No. 92.
The Pirates drafted Chandler in 2021, convincing him to forgo his commitment to Clemson to play quarterback.
Chandler played most of 2024 in Double-A with the Altoona Curve, starting 16 of 19 games, a 6-7 record, one save, one shutout. He also had a 3.70 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched, allowing 55 hits, 33 earned runs and 26 walks, while making 94 strikeouts and holding hitters to a .192 batting average, along with having a 1.01 WHIP.
Chandler earned a promotion to Triple-A with the Indianapolis Indians on Aug. 8 and pitched even better than he did in Double-A.
He finished with 4-0 record in seven starts, a 1.83 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched, allowing just 26 hits, eight earned runs, two home runs and 15 walks to 54 strikeouts. He held opposing hitters to a .183 batting average and a 1.04 WHIP.
The Pirates landed Yorke in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, sending former 2019 First Round pick, right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester.
Yorke played well for the Worcester Red Sox in Triple-A, hitting .310 with 45 hits in 145 at-bats, eight doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI and 24 walks to 36 strikeouts in 38 games. He also started 2024 with the Portland Sea Dogs in Double-A, slashing .251/.326/.366 in 45 games.
He then excelled at Indianapolis, slashing .355/.431/.507 with 54 hits, two home runs and 26 RBI in 40 games. The Pirates selected his contract on Sept. 16 and he slashed .216/.286/.378 in 11 games.
The Pirates took Griffin with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Miss., signing him to a $6,532,025 bonus, which is above slot for No. 9 overall at $6,216,600.
Griffin, who bats right-handed, had a .559 batting average, with 66 hits in 118 at-bats, along with 39 RBIs, 13 doubles, nine home runs and four triples as a senior. He also only struckout 10 times, while earning 47 walks and got hit by pitch five times.
He also showed his prowess in the infield, with a .932 fielding percentage, turning nine double plays and only committing six errors. He also plays in the outfield too, giving the Pirates a number of positions they can put him at to succeed.
The Pirates took Johnson No. 4 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Benjamin Elijah Mayes High School in Atlanta. Johnson chose a $7,219,000 signing bonus with the Pirates over his commitment to Arizona State.
He spent most of 2024 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers at High Single-A, slashing .238/.372/.712, along with 17 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs, 46 RBIs,20 stolen bases and 78 walks to 105 strikeouts.
The Pirates promoted the 20-year old to Double-A on Aug. 27 and he played in 14 games for them, slashing .229/.316/.396, with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and seven walks to 11 strikeouts.
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.