Another Pirates Top Prospect Shines in Pro Debut
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the better pitching prospects in baseball in right-hander Seth Hernandez and he showed them exactly why he's rated so highly.
Hernandez made his professional debut for Single-A Bradenton against the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, on the road on April 3 and had a strong outing.
He finished with eight strikeouts over three innings and 39 pitches, with 30 of those pitches strikes, allowing just three hits and a run in the eventual 6-4 win for Bradenton in their season opener.
It's a great beginning for Hernandez, who is the Pirates best pitching prospect not in the major leagues and who they took sixth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Corona High School in Corona, Calif.
Seth Hernandez’s professional debut -
— Christian ✞ (@CWolfPGH) April 3, 2026
- 3.0 IP
- 3 hits
- 1 run
- earned run
- 0 BB
- 8 SOs 🔥
Yes - EIGHT strikeouts in 3 innings!!
Not only that….
….EVERY strikeout was on an offspeed pitch!
His elite fastball only makes his secondary pitches more valuable
STAR ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/L49JbCk6Yo
Looking at Hernandez's Exceptional Pro Debut
Hernandez gave up a leadoff triple in the bottom of the first inning and then a single with two outs, which scored the run, but did strikeout the other three batters.
He only allowed one more hit the rest of the game, while striking out two batters in the second inning and three of the four batters in the third inng.
Hernandez relied on his four-seam fastball, which he averaged out around 98.0 mph, but can get into the low-100 mph range, as he showed in the Spring Breakout Game.
His offspeed came with his slider, curveball and changeup, as he kept the Dunedin hitters guessing, with many swings and misses. His slider and curveball both served as the final pitch in seven of his eight strikeouts on the night.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 14/39 (35.9%) | 98.0 mph |
Slider | 11/39 (28.2%) | 88.9 mph |
Curveball | 8/39 (20.5%) | 80.4 mph |
Changeup | 6/39 (15.4%) | 84.6 mph |
Hernandez got 18 whiffs on 24 swings from Dunedin, 75% whiff rate, which is the second best rate in the Statcast Era in the Florida State League (since 2021). Only former Orioles prospect Osiris German, who had 18 whiffs on 23 swings, was better than Hernandez in the FSL.
This also wasn't just a significant start for Hernandez because it was his debut or because he dominated, as he went up against Dunedin right-handed starting pitcher Trey Yesavage.
Yesavage is the ninth best prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and is on a rehab assignment, and pitched seven innings of one-run baseball in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium.
Hernandez going up against Yesavage, and outshining him, bodes well for his future with the Pirates and also what they expect from him this year.
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.