Pirates Promote Exciting Prospect Duo to Bradenton
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates possess many great players in their farm system and have two players who could end up as top players for them in the future.
The Pirates promoted the infield prospect duo of Darel Morell and Johan De Los Santos from the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates at Rookie-Level ball to Single-A Bradenton on May 15.
Both players also made their debut for Bradenton against Fort Myers on May 16, with Morell hitting an RBI-single and De Los Santos hitting a triple and a three-run home run in the 12-9 win at home.
Morell and De Los Santos joined the Pirates in the 2025 International Signing Period as the the two biggest additions of the class. De Los Santos signed the highest bonus of the class at $2.25 million and Morell wasn't far behind at $1.8 million.
It's a big move for the young Pirates duo, who have a chance to really impresss at the next level of their journey towards the major leagues.
Why This Duo is Important for the Pirates
These two players are amongst the better prospects in the Pirates farm system, with Morell the more valued one right now and De Los Santos moving up.
MLB Pipeline ranks Morell 15th in the Pirates top 30 and Baseball America has Morell at 17th, while De Los Santos is now the 30th ranked Pirates prospect on MLB Pipeline, following top prospect Konnor Griffin's graduation.
The Pirates almost didn't get Morel, as the Los Angeles Dodgers trended towards landing him, but when they signed Japanese right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki for $6.5 million, they didn't have the pool money to keep him on, letting the Pirates get him last minute.
De Los Santos joined his brother, Yordanny De Los Santos, on the Pirates, who signed for $1.2 million as a part of the 2022 International Signing Period Class and is with High-A Greensboro. MLB Pipeline ranks Yordanny De Los Santos as the 18th best prospect in the Pirates farm system.
The infield duo from Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, are just in their first season playing professionally in the United States and have a great opportunity ahead of them to face some serious competition.
If they end up having success, it will prove the Pirates right on the money they spent on the two infielders and will play a role in more scouting efforts in the Dominican Republic and across the world.
More Background on Morel and De Los Santos
Morel stands 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds and at just 18 years old, will have time to fill out his frame and become an even better/stronger athlete in the future.
He slashed .287/.425/.414 for an OPS of .839 in 50 games for Pirates Gold in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 2025, with 45 hits, 45 runs scored, nine doubles, four triples, one home run, 25 RBI, 37 walks to 45 strikeouts and 26 stolen bases on 33 attempts, tied for 15th-most in the DSL.
Morel continued his good play into 2026, slashing .385/.543/.885 for an OPS of 1.428 in eight games for the FCL Pirates, with 10 hits in 26 at-bats, seven runs scored, two doubles, four triples, a home run, six RBI and eight walks to seven strikeouts.
His four triples are the most for any minor leaguer in that amount of games this season and show that his speed could serve as a big part of his game moving forward.
The Pirates will hope that Morel develops into more of a power hitter, particularly with his frame, but he's showing he can thrive at the plate early on in his career.
De Los Santos is still just 17 years old and was excellent for Pirates Black in the DSL last season, slashing .353/.451/.460 for an OPS of .911 in 44 games, with 49 hits in 139 at-bats, nine doubles, three triples, 27 RBI, 27 walks to 13 strikeouts and 34 stolen bases on six attempts.
He had the fifth-best batting average in the DSL and also tied for the fifth-most stolen bases in 2025.
De Los Santos, like Morel, kept up his good hitting with Bradenton this campaign, slashing .385/.500/.577 for an OPS of 1.077 in seven games, with 10 hits in 26 at-bats, a triple, a home run, five RBI and six walks to just one strikeout.
The Pirates will hope that Morel and De Los Santos continue this great play and that maintain their development at such young ages.
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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.