Pirates Sign Former Phillies Pitching Prospect
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are still adding players to their franchise, with Spring Training less than a week away.
Driveline Baseball announced that right-handed pitcher Dominic Pipkin had signed with the Pirates. There is no official move on Pipkin's transactions log, but this should come as a one-year, minor league deal.
Pipkin had spent seven years in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system and is now looking for a new opportunity with the Pirates in 2026.
The Pirates also get a veteran pitcher that has something to prove this season and could potentially give them depth later in the campaign.
What Pirates Get in Pipkin
Pipkin didn't pitch at all in 2025, but recently impressed at a pro day, which helped him earn a new contract for 2026.
His four-seam fastball was his most impressive pitch, reaching up to 98.2 mph, with a horizontal break of 12 inches, vertical break of 15 inches and a spin rate of 2,305 rpm.
Congrats to Dominic Pipkin on signing with the @Pirates! 🏴☠️
— Driveline Baseball (@DrivelineBB) February 6, 2026
His filled up the zone at Pro Day, showcasing a four-pitch mix including a heater that climbed to 98.2 mph. Big-time power paired with excellent command. pic.twitter.com/E6E2aqC6Gq
Pipkin also threw a slider, a changeup and a curveball for a four pitch mix, giving him a solid choice of pitches to work with.
His slider was around 87-88 mph, his changeup close by around 86-87 mph and then his curveball ran around 79-80 mph.
Pipkin is an imposing figure as well, standing 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, someone that commands the mound.
Dominic Pipkin's Background
It's been a while since Pipkin has pitched as a professional, not doing so in 2025 and then spending much of 2024 injured, making just nine appearances across three different levels over one month.
Pipkin's last season where he pitched a substantial amount of games was in 2023, but even that season saw him miss the first two-and-a-half months with injury.
He still made 23 appearances, including pitching in 18 games with Double-A Reading, posting a 2-2 record, a 3.66 ERA over 19.2 innings pitched, one save in three opportunities, 23 strikeouts to seven walks, a .222 batting average allowed and a 1.17 WHIP.
Pipkin's previous two seasons in 2021 and 2022 with relatively injury-free and he spent that time with High-A Jersey Shore.
He made 13 starts in 30 appearances in 2022 with a 4-7 record, a 5.01 ERA over 73.2 innings pitched, 64 strikeouts to 51 walks, a .262 BAA and a 1.66 WHIP. He started 12 of 16 games in 2021, with a 4-3 record, a 4.97 ERA over 58.0 innings pitched, 64 strikeouts to 27 walks, a .264 BAA and a 1.47 WHIP.
The Phillies took Pipkin in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Pinole Valley High School in Pinole, Calif., about 23 miles northeast of San Francisco.
Pipkin pitched for two seasons in the Phillies minor leagues, at Gulf Coast League Phillies East in 2018 and then Single-A Lakewood in 2019. He didn't pitch in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the minor league season.
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.