Pirates Top Prospect Seth Hernandez Dazzles in First High-A Start

He's dominated so far in his first minor league season

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, greets Pirates general manager Ben Cherington (right) before the game against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Seth Hernandez recently became the top-ranked minor leaguer in the organization's farm system—and he showed exactly why he's so highly touted in his first High-A start.

Hernandez, the new No. 3 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline's updated rankings, made his debut with the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers on Friday after being promoted from Single-A Bradenton earlier this week. And the 2025 sixth-overall draft pick continued his dominant start to the year by tossing five scoreless innings against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 19-year-old gave up no runs on no hits and four walks, while striking out seven en route to his first High-A win on the mound. That further improves Hernandez's already-absurd stats, giving him a 0.82 ERA through the first seven starts of his minor league career. And if he keeps throwing the ball like he has all season, it might not be too long before the young hurler finds himself in Double-A.

Where could Seth Hernandez realistically be pitching by the end of the season?

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

While Hernandez has undoubtedly stood out at the start of his first season in the minors, he's still just 19 years old. He doesn't turn 20 until the end of June. So, even though he's been dominating the lower minor league levels thus far, Pittsburgh may end up being slightly cautious about how quickly it pushes the young hurler through its farm system.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes made just 12 minor league starts before his MLB debut. But, at the same time, Skenes played three seasons in college before he was drafted first overall in 2023. Hernandez, on the other hand, was selected out of high school roughly 10 months ago. So, just because Pittsburgh was extremely aggressive in calling up Skenes, that doesn't necessarily mean Hernandez will follow an identical path.

Still, the numbers speak for themselves. Hernandez has 57 strikeouts in 33 minor league innings pitched. He's only allowed three runs, 11 walks, and 13 hits so far in 2026. The young arm is clearly on the fast track to becoming a future star in Pittsburgh's rotation. But, for now, Hernandez will continue his development at High-A, with his eyes likely set on getting to Double-A very soon.