Pirates Prospect Duo Misses Out on Baseball America's Top 100
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have some top prospects that featured in the recent Baseball America top 100 for the 2026 season.
The Pirates have four of their prospects not just in the top 100, but in the top 40. This includes shortstop Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in baseball, right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler at 14th, outfielder Edward Florentino at 28th and right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez at 38th.
While Pittsburgh has some of the best future talent in baseball, there are also some surprising omissions that Baseball America could've featured.
The Pirates had two players that received votes for the top 100, but didn't make it in, including catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores and outfielder Jhostynxon García.
Rafael Flores and his 2025 Season
The Pirates acquired Flores on at the deadline on July 31, as a part of the trade that sent right-handed relief pitcherDavid Bednar to the New York Yankees. Fellow catcher/first baseman Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez came along with Flores in the trade to the Pirates from the Yankees.
He began his 2025 season with Double-A Somerset, slashing .287/.346/.496 for an OPS of .842, with 96 hits, 23 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 56 RBI and 30 walks to 94 strikeouts.
Flores earned promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 19 and slashed .211/.388/.289 for an OPS of .677 in 10 games, with eight hits in 38 at-bats, a home run, four RBI and 11 walks to 13 strikeouts.
The Pirates had Flores start with Triple-A Indianapolis when he joined on. He played in 36 games with Indianapolis, slashing .281/.363/.459 for an OPS of .822, with 38 hits in 135 at-bats, four doubles, one triple, six home runs, 28 RBI and 15 walks to 41 strikeouts.
Flores joined the Pirates on Sept. 16 and made his MLB debut in the series finale vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on Sept. 17.
He started four games of the six he played at first base and also started one game at catcher before the end of the season.
Flores finished with three hits in 15 at-bats, with two doubles and two walks on seven strikeouts in seven games with the Pirates in 2025.
He just turned 25 years old and has had a non-traditional route towards the major leagues. He played for two different junior colleges then played in Alaska, before he singed with the Yankees for $75,000.
Flores will get a chance to play catcher, but also first base for the Pirates in 2026, where he could show his true power potential at the plate.
Jhostynxon García Joins On with Pirates
The Pirates also added García in a trade, doing so this offseason on Dec. 4. He came along with 18-year old right-handed pitcher Jesus Travieso in the trade with the Boston Red Sox, where the Pirates sent right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman.
García slashed .267/.340/.470 for an OPS of .810 in 114 games across Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, but his best play came in the 88 games at Triple-A in 2025, where he hit 18 home runs and slashed .271/.334/.498 for an OPS of .832.
He has a beautiful swing, that sees him open up his body and crush balls in the zone, punishing pitchers for leaving balls for him to send out for a home run.
García does tend to pull the ball for a right-handed batter, but this works well in PNC Park, which is deeper in right-center field than it is closer to the foul pole.
He can play all three outfield positions, but features mostly in center field, then at right field and a little bit in left field. This gives the Pirates options on where to put him, but also could serve as a backup for Oneil Cruz, putting him at designated hitter at times too.
The Pirates won't rush García this offseason, as he has just seven at-bats in at the major league level, but if he performs well this Spring Training he could earn a shot on the Opening Day roster.
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.