Pirates Prospect Twirls Four No-Hit Innings in Second Minor League Start

His second outing was even better than his first

Jun 19, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; General view of the field before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates' top pitching prospect produced a stellar outing in his second-ever professional start.

Right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, Pittsburgh's No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 26 overall prospect for 2026, pitched in a minor league game for just the second time on Friday. And after throwing three one-run innings in his first pro start on April 3, the 19-year-old followed that up by tossing four no-hit innings for the Single-A Bradenton Marauders. The young righty needed just 53 pitches to complete his four shutout innings of work, striking out seven while walking one and hitting one batter in a nearly flawless performance.

It's obviously only two games, but Hernandez has looked dominant in his first pro starts. He now has 15 strikeouts in seven innings pitched, while only giving up one run and three hits overall. And if the young righty keeps pitching like this, he could be on pace for a meteoric rise through the Pirates' farm system.

Seth Hernandez could be Pirates' next first-round star

Jul 22, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seth Hernandez (left), the Pittsburgh Pirates' first round and number six overall pick in the 2025 first-year player draft, talks with Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) before the game against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

At some point this year, Pittsburgh will have a new top prospect once shortstop Konnor Griffin spends enough time in the big leagues. When that happens, Hernandez will presumably become the No. 1 prospect in the organization.

Hernandez was the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2025, following in the footsteps of Griffin in 2024 and Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes in 2023. All three players were top-10 picks, too, with Skenes being selected first overall, Griffin going ninth, and Hernandez being taken with the sixth pick.

Another similarity between Skenes and Griffin, at least, is that they both spent minimal time in the minors. Skenes made only 12 minor league starts before getting called up to the big leagues, while Griffin played 127 games in the minors but just 26 at Double-A and Triple-A combined.

While it's unclear what timeline the Pirates have in mind for Hernandez's progression through the minors, the precedent is there for the young righty to quickly climb the ranks, just like some of the organization's other recent first-round picks. And if the 19-year-old continues to throw the ball the way he has in his first two pro starts, it wouldn't be surprising if he ends up in the upper levels of the minors by the end of 2026.