Pirates Prospects That Made New MLB Pipeline Top 30 List
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the better farm systems in all of baseball and a few prospects looking to make a big impact in 2026.
MLB Pipeline put out their re-ranking of the Pirates' top 30, which included players who moved up, players who moved down, those that finally made the list and those that fell off.
Four new Pirates prospects are on the top 30 to start 2026, which includes right-handed pitchers in Antwone Kelly and Khristian Curtis, left-handed pitcher Reinoldo Navarro and infielder Duce Gorson.
These four players each have an important year ahead of them and now extra attention with this re-ranking.
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Antwone Kelly (No. 9)
Kelly finally had the breakout season he was looking for in 2025, which helped earn him a spot on the 40-man roster with the Pirates, as they protected him from the Rule 5 Draft.
He had a great start with High-A Greensboro and posted a 1-1 record in 14 starts, a 3.03 ERA over 59.1 innings pitched, 70 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .192 BAA and a 0.90 WHIP.
Kelly earned promotion to Double-A Altoona and kept the solid performances going, with a 2-2 record over 11 starts, a 3.00 ERA over 48.0 innings pitched, 46 strikeouts to 16 walks, a .226 BAA and a 1.17 WHIP.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record (Starts) | 3-3 (25) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 3.02 (107.1) |
Strikeouts/Walks (K/BB) | 116/33 (3.52) |
BAA | .208 |
WHIP | 1.06 |
His fastball is what will keep him at the major league level, averaging out around 97 mph and reaching as high as 100.7 mph, close to fellow top Pirates pitching prospect Bubba Chandler.
Kelly also uses a changeup and a slider for his offspeed pitches, while relying on a cutter and a sinker too for his pitch mix.
He is currently with Team Kingdom of the Netherlands for the World Baseball Classic and will pitch some important games for them. He hails from Aruba, which is an island nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which allows him to play.
Kelly should start at Triple-A Indianapolis, but a good showing there will give him more chances to make the major league roster.
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Khristian Curtis (No. 24)
Curtis has dealt with a great injury history, making his time on the mound even more impressive, becoming a non-roster invite to Major League Camp.
The Pirates' 12th round pick of out Arizona State in the 2023 MLB Draft had a strong campaign this past season, following early troubles.
He posted an 11.48 ERA with High-A Greensboro in April, mostly thanks to giving up seven earned runs over 0.1 innings pitched in his second start.
Curtis bounced back the rest of the campaign, posting an 8-3 record, with a 2.87 ERA over 97.1 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts, while earning a promotion to Double-A Altoona at the end of the campaign.
He helped Greensboro throw a perfect game in the 2-0 win over the Aberdeen Ironbirds on July 4, as he pitched six scoreless innings and posted 10 strikeouts.
Curtis employs four pitches, a four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup and a curveball. His fastball is the pitch that is his best, featuring around the mid 90s, 94-96 mph, while his curveball is his best offspeed pitch.
He turns 24 this year and should start with Double-A Altoona, giving him a timeline of 2027 or 2028 for making the Pirates roster.
Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Reinold Navarro (No. 27)
Navarro is an interesting choice for the top 30, as he's relatively unknown, even for a Pirates prospect.
The Pirates signed Navarro for $270,000 from the Dominican Republic in the 2024 International Signing Period and he just turned 19 years old back in October.
He stands 6-foot and 178 pounds and has already shown why the Pirates are high on him for hte future.
Navarro has the best slider in the Pirates farm system, according to MLB Pipeline, who gave it a "60" grade. His slider sits in the mid-80s mph range and has a 50% whiff rate on it, making for a great offspeed pitch.
His best pitch is his fastball, which MLB Pipeline gave a "65" grade too, reaching the 95-100 mph range with a 47% whiff rate.
Navarro has put up high strikeout numbers in his two minor league seasons, with a 15.75 K/9, but his walk rate is also incredibly high, 9.80 BB/9, resulting in a low 1.61 K/BB.
He had success last season at Rookie-Level ball with the Florida Complex League Pirates, posting a 2.81 ERA over 25.2 innings and eight starts in nine appearances, 47 strikeouts to 20 walks, a .088 BAA and a 1.05 WHIP.
Navarro struggled in his short time with Single-A Bradenton, with a 15.63 over 6.1 innings pitched, with five runs coming a relief appearance that he got no outs in.
Reinold Navarro 2025 Stats
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record (Appearances/Starts) | 0-2 (15/12) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 5.34 (32.0) |
Strikeouts/Walks (K/BB) | 98/61 (1.61) |
BAA | .098 |
WHIP | 1.56 |
If Navarro can work on his control, he can develop into a strong starting pitcher and should start this season with Bradenton.
Infielder Duce Gorson (No. 29)
Duce Gorson joined the Pirates when they took him in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of UCLA and he's moved up the minor leagues since then.
Gorson started off the 2025 season with Greensboro, where he slashed .261./368/.449 for an OPS of .817 in 39 games, with 36 hits in 138 at-bats, nine doubles, one triple, five home runs, 18 RBIs, 17 walks to 28 strikeouts and 21 steals on 23 attempts.
He then earned promotion to Altoona on June 24, where he struggled from the plate early on, slashing .193/.265/.295 for an OPS of .561 in 26 games through July 31, with just 17 hits in 88 at-bats,
Gorson then dominated in August and September, hitting .354 and .364 and helped Altoona make the postseason.
He mostly played at both corner infield spots, with 29 starts in 31 games at third base and 18 starts in 20 games at first base, while also having experience at second base and designated hitter.
If Gorson can keep up his strong contact and fielding versatility, he could make the Pirates roster earlier than anticipated.
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.