Four Pirates Prospects Land in Top 100
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have players in the minor league who will look to contribute in the following seasons, with a few prospects that stand out above the rest.
Four prospects throughout the Pirates minor league system made the MLB Pipeline Top 100, which they recently re-ranked. Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler with the Indianapolis Indians at Triple-A was No. 1 on the Pirates and No. 41 overall, First Round Pick shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin is at No. 55, infielder Termarr Johnson with the Greensboro Grasshoppers at High-A is at No. 84 and right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft at Triple-A is at No. 96.
Chandler recently made the move to Triple-A after spending most of 2024 with the Altoona Curve of Double-A. He started 16 of 19 games, with 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 at Altoona.
The 21-year old recently earned Interntational Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance in the 6-0 win against the Nashville Sounds last Friday night on the road. Chandler pitched 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one walk and making six strikeouts in his first start at Triple-A.
The Pirates took Griffin with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and $6,532,025, which is above slot for the pick 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 at Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Miss. He also only struckout 10 times, while earning 47 walks and got hit by pitch five times.
The 18-year old hasn't debuted for the Pirates yet, but his talent and high draft selection puts him on this list.
Johnson has played at Greensboro all of this season with a slash line of .237/.374/.376, plus 87 hits in 367 at-bats, 16 doubles, 11 home runs, 42 RBIs and 73 walks to 97 strikeouts, along with 15 stolen bases in 102 games.
The 20-year old also featured in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend, boding well for the potential future star Pirates infielder.
Ashcraft started 2024 with Altoona, starting 10 of 11 games, a 2-2 record, a 3.69 ERA in 53.2 innings pitched, 63 strikeouts to eight walks, held opposing hitters to a .244 batting average and had a WHIP of 1.10.
He received a promotion to Indianapolis on June 11 and has dealt with some minor injuries, but pitched well. He has three starts in four appearances, just one earned run in 18.1 innings pitched for a 0.49 ERA, 13 strikeouts to four walks and 14 hits, an opposing batting average of .203 and a WHIP of .098.
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.