Pirates Prospect Recognized for Breakout Season
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had some fantastic prospects in their farm system and many had great campaigns in 2025.
Konnor Griffin went from the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft to the best prospect in baseball, rising from Single-A to Double-A and potentially a spot on the Opening Day roster for the Pirates in 2026.
Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco and Bubba Chandler, all made their MLB debuts in 2025 and Mike Burrows showed he belonged in the major leagues as well.
One prospect came into this season relatively unknown, but by the end, most Pirates fans saw what talents he possessed and are eagerly awaiting his continued development.
Edward Florentino Named Pirates' Breakout Prospect
MLB.com named one breakout prospect for every team and picked outfielder Edward Florentino for the Pirates.
They picked Florentino since Griffin had some expectations on him, but Florentino had little heading into 2025. After the season he had, they remarked on Florentino and his upward trajectory going forward.
"Konnor Griffin's season deserves a hat tip here, but there were some expectations for the first-round pick. Florentino gets this nod because of how far he’s jumped in 2025. He began the year at No. 23 on the Pirates' Top 30 and had yet to make his U.S. debut.
"We started getting a heads-up about how hard he was hitting the ball in extended spring training and really took note of his 1.084 OPS in the Florida Complex League.
"That earned him a bump to full-season ball where he kept producing and he finished the year with a combined .948 OPS, 16 homers and 35 steals (good for 159 wRC+). He’s also worked hard to become a good center fielder and has a big up arrow next to his name heading into 2026."
Edward Florentino's 2025 Season
Florentino started 2025 with the Florida Complex League Pirates and slashed .347/.442/.642 for an OPS of 1.084 in 29 games, 33 hit in 95 at-bats, six doubles, two triples, six home runs, 23 RBIs, 16 walks to 22 strikeouts and six stolen bases on seven attempts.
He earned his first player of the week honors with at the FCL for June 9-15, with a slash line of .471/.474/.882 for an OPS of 1.356 in five games, eight hits in 17 at-bats, two doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBIs and one walk to five strikeouts.
His play earned him recognition as the top MLB prospect in the Florida Complex League (FCL) by Rob Terranova of MLB.com. The Pirates also named him their Rookie-Level Player of the Year as well.
The Pirates promoted Florentino to Single-A Bradenton on June 21, where he continued his great play the rest of the season, slashing .262/.380/.503 for an OPS of .883, with 51 hits in 195 at-bats, 17 doubles, 10 home runs, 36 RBIs, 29 stolen bases on 34 attempts and 33 walks to 56 strikeouts.
Florentino earned Florida State League Player of the Month honors for July. He slashed .301/.433/.663 for an OPS of 1.096 in 23 games, with 25 hits in 83 at-bats, six doubles, eight home runs, 23 RBIs, 17 walks to 24 strikeouts and 16 stolen bases on 17 attempts.
His eight home runs and 23 RBIs ranked as the most in both the Florida State League and in Single-A. He was also the only player in the Florida State League and one of three in Single-A with both at least 15 walks and 10 extra bases hits.
Flor Sprouts Another Honor! 🌷 Edward Florentino Earns FSL Player of the Month for July!
— Bradenton Marauders (@The_Marauders) August 6, 2025
Florentino batted .301/.433/.663 and led the league in runs (20), HR (8), RBI (23), total bases (55), stolen bases (16), slugging percentage (.663) and OPS (1.096).
Congrats, Edward! pic.twitter.com/OBJNcCqGaT
He finished his season slashing .290/.400/.548 for an OPS of .948, 84 hits, 23 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 59 RBIs, 49 walks to 78 strikeouts and 35 stolen bases on 41 attempts.
His play earned him a spot in the top 100 prospects on MLB Pipeline and they moved him up to 81st overall in the recent re-ranking, one of the highest climbers, going up 16 spots from 97th overall.
MLB Pipeline also ranks Florentino as the fifth best prospect in the Pirates franchcise, behind Griffin, the top prospect in baseball, right-handed pitchers in Bubba Chandler in second and Seth Hernandez in third, plus left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco in fourth.
The Pirates signed Florentino for $395,000 on Jan. 15, 2024 and he spent the 2024 season with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Pirates Gold team. He slashed .260/.432/.459 for an OPS of .891, with 38 hits in 146 at-bats, 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 28 RBIs, 38 walks to 36 strikeouts and eight stolen bases on 10 attempts.
Florentino earned DSL Mid-Season All-Star honors for his play, slashing .280;/450/.540 for an OPS of .990 at that point in the 2024 campaign.
Pirates fans will hope that the 6-foot-4, 18-year old develops into their next great hitter by the end of the decade.
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.