Pirates Prospect Off to Great Start in Arizona Fall League
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PITTSBURGH — The Arizona Fall League is a great time for prospects to get better for next season, and one Pittsburgh Pirates player is doing just that.
Pirates third base/outfielder Jhonny Severino hit his first home run of the Arizona Fall League on Oct. 5 for the Glendale Desert Dogs.
Severino crushed an 86.5 mph slider at the top of the strike zone from Surprise Saguaros right-handed pitcher Steven Zobac, sending it 106.6 mph and 417 feet to left field for a two-run home run.
He gave Glendale a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but they ultimately fell 8-7 and to 0-3 on the season, but showed promise with this home run.
Pirates No. 28 prospect Jhonny Severino’s first Fall League homer gets out in a hurry! It leaves the bat at 106.6 MPH EV and travels 417 feet pic.twitter.com/UUtXcpmBST
— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 6, 2026
Severino Continues Power Show in 2026
There were a few Pirates prospects who surprised everyone with their better play in 2026, and Severino was one of them.
Severino was excellent for High-A Greensboro, batting .256/.308/.524 for an OPS of .832 in 113 games, with 111 hits, 23 doubles, 31 home runs, 95 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
This was a massive improvement from his 2025 season with Single-A Bradenton, where he hit .215/.277/.359 for an OPS of .636, plus 11 home runs and 49 RBI.
He ranked as one of the best hitters in the South Atlantic League this season in multiple categories.
Jhonny Severino South Atlantic League Rankings
Stat (Total) | Ranking |
|---|---|
Home Runs (31)/Total Bases (227) | 1st |
RBI (95) | 2nd |
Runs (85) | 4th |
Hits (111) | Tied-4th |
Slugging Percentage (.524) | 5th |
Doubles (23) | Tied-8th |
OPS (.832) | 11th |
Batting Average (.256) | 18th |
Severino had a slow start to his season, batting .203/.241/.329 for a .570 in April, but quickly showed off his power the next three months.
He hit .277/.317/.622 for an OPS of .940 from May through July, with 69 hits, 17 doubles, 23 home runs and 61 RBI.
Severino's best month came in May, when he hit .305/.337/.646 for an OPS of .984 with 25 hits, seven doubles, seven home runs and 23 RBI, while he hit nine home runs in July.
His play helped Greensboro clinch a playoff spot in the South Atlantic League, where they took down Frederick (Baltimore Orioles) in the Division Series, before losing to Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox) in the Championship Series.
Other Background on Severino
The Pirates acquired Severino at the 2023 trade deadline, sending first baseman Carlos Santana to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Severino was just 18 at the time the Pirates landed him, and the Brewers signed him for $1.2 million as part of their 2022 International Class, hailing from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
He was also once a switch-hitter, but is solely a right-handed hitter now, which has benefited him, with an increase in home runs, as well as exit velocity and bat speed.
Severino excelled at the hitter-friendly First National Bank Field in 2026, batting .257/.312/.565 for an OPS of .877 with 18 home runs, but was also solid on the road, hitting .256/.305/.484 for an OPS of .789 with 13 home runs.
He's played mostly at third base, 56 starts in 58 games this season, but also featured in left field, 37 starts in 39 games, and first base, 13 starts in 18 games.
Severino turns 22 on Nov. 8, and while he is Rule 5 draft eligible, he'll need to show he can deal with Double-A pitching next season before the Pirates decide he deserves a 40-man roster spot.
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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.