Pirates Pitching Prospect Keeps Getting Better in 2026
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates may just have the best pitching prospect in baseball and he showed that in his most recent start.
Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Seth Hernandez dominated for High-A Greensboro in their 5-1 home defeat over Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox) on June 21, earning just his second High-A win.
Hernandez threw six scoreless innings, allowing justone hit and a walk, while striking out eight batters in what was his best performance at High-A so far.
The Pirates have put great trust into Hernandez, after they took him sixth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, and he's come through for them in his first professional season.
Seth Hernandez delivers a dominant outing for the High-A @GSOHoppers 🔥
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 21, 2026
6 IP | 1 H | 0 ER | 1 BB | 8 K
MLB’s top pitching prospect (@Pirates) sports a 14.6 K/9 this season: pic.twitter.com/Zw9U90hb5G
Seth Hernandez's Time at Greensboro
The Pirates promoted Hernandez to Greensboro on May 12 after an incredible showing at Single-A Bradenton, where he posted a 0.96 ERA over six starts and struck out 50 batters over 28.0 innings.
Hernandez is now at a higher level than he was previously and he's had some issues at times, but he's definitely shown he can compete with Greensboro, even at just 19 years old.
He has a 2-1 record over seven starts, a 3.07 ERA over 29.1 innings pitched, 43 strikeouts to 18 walks, a .182 batting average allowed and a 1.23 WHIP.
This start vs. Winston-Salem was just the second scoreless start for Hernandez with Greensboro, of at least five innings.
Hernandez threw five scoreless innings, walking four batters and posting seven strikeouts in a 3-0 road win over Jersey Shore (Philadelphia Phillies) on May 15, his High-A debut.
His next four starts were less efficient, giving up 10 earned runs over 16.2 innings pitched for a 5.40 ERA.
This included his second start, which came at home vs. Winston-Salem on May 22, where he gave up three solo home runs and four walks with five strikeouts over 2.2 innings and 67 pitches.
Where Hernandez Can Improve with Greensboro
Perhaps the biggest disparity between Bradenton and Greensboro for Hernandez is that he's given up six home runs with Greensboro and only gave up two with Bradenton.
Hernandez does have the disadvantage of pitching at First National Bank Park in Greensboro, a hitter-friendly ball park, with both left field and right field foul poles at just 315 feet.
His home vs. away splits show this disparity with Greensboro, giving up five of his six home runs and seven of his 10 earned runs, for a 4.72 ERA and a 3.38 HR/9, compared to three earned runs on over 17.0 innings pitched for a 1.59 ERA on the road.
Cutting down on the home runs is crucial for Hernandez, and if he can do that at Greensboro, then it'll be even easier at Double-A Altoona in Peoples Natural Gas Park, much more friendly to pitchers.
Hernandez is still throwing his four-seam fastball, changeup, slider and curveball well in High-A and Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan liked what he saw from Hernandez in his last start.
“...Came back and was really, really sharp in the most recent one," Cherington said. "He just attacked the strikezone. The stuff is there. Again, new level. No ABS, that’s popped up a bit at High-A, but was really impressed with him in his last one.”
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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.