Pirates Pitching Phenom Dazzles Once Again
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Seth Hernandez has shown throughout 2026 why he's one of the top future arms in the sport.
Hernandez did that again in his most recent start for Single-A Bradenton in the 7-0 win over the Tampa Bay Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, on the road on April 17.
The 19-year old threw five no-hit innings and posted eight strikeouts over 67 pitches, his longest start so far and again proving he has what it takes to become a great starter in the future for the Pirates.
His only blemish came with two walks, but the Pirates will always take that with how well he pitched overall.
Folks - Seth Hernandez did it AGAIN
— Christian ✞ (@CWolfPGH) April 17, 2026
5.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 8SO
His ERA now sits at 0.75 in High-A 🔥
Guys - he’s going to be MLB’s top pitching prospect very soon.
UNREAL - NO. HITS. ALLOWED 🔥🔥🔥
As always - a full recap here pic.twitter.com/mYGVEAm9XE
How Hernandez Dominated In His Most Recent Start
Hernandez has an incredibly effective fastball and used that almost 63% of the time, ramping into the upper 90s mph.
What he did well was also use his offspeed pitches in the changeup, slider and curveball, getting a whiff rate higher than 60% on all of those pitches.
His slider also registers as a cutter on Statcast, due to its speed, but if he keeps mixing his fastball with his offspeed, he'll become an ever harder out moving forward.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 42/67 (62.7%) | 97.0 mph |
Changeup | 11/67 (16.4%) | 82.6 mph |
Slider/Cutter | 9/67 (13.4%) | 87.8 mph |
Curveball | 5/67 (7.5%) | 79.1 mph |
Hernandez also bounced back from two walks in the bottom of the second inning, with two strikeouts and a ground out.
The Pirates phenom finished with two strikeouts in the first inning, two strikeouts in the fourth inning and two strikeouts in the fifth inning.
Hernandez Continues Great Start to 2026
The Pirates took Hernandez with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Corona High School in Corona, Calif., but he didn't make his professional debut until this year.
Hernandez had a great debut against the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, on the road on April 3. He finished with eight strikeouts over three innings and 39 pitches, allowing just three hits and a run in the 6-4 win.
His second start was even better, throwing four no-hit innings, hitting a batter and allowing just one walk, while striking out seven of the 14 batters he faced over 53 pitches.
Hernandez has nine consecutive no-hit innings over his past two starts, giving him a full no-hitter, he had actually gone the full way in an outing.
His 2026 season has seen him post a 0.75 ERA over 12.0 innings pitched, 23 strikeouts to three walks, a .077 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 0.50 WHIP.
The Pirates have Hernandez as their second-best prospect, but will soon be first after Konnor Griffin graduates soon, and he will end up becoming the best pitching prospect in all of baseball.
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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.