Continuing our top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospect countdown, today we will look at #30 all the way up to #26.

#30 OF Sammy Siani: The 37th overall pick in 2019 from cross city rival Philadelphia was brought in to be a staple of the future Buccos outfield. He started off in the GCL after he signed in 2019 and didn’t play pro ball during Covid year. In 2021, he spent the full year with the Bradenton Marauders battling injuries but still coming away with an average of .215 and 35 RBIs. 2022 was another up and down year for Siani. Starting with High A Greensboro then getting sent down on a conditioning stint to the FCL Pirates in late July and then back up again in late August. Only a .201 batting average with 28 RBIs. I don’t think it’s panic time yet with Siani but another year of High A should do him very well for his development. 

#29 RHP Cody Bolton: A 6th round pick in 2017 out of High School, Bolton has had a very good minor league career to this point. Spending 2017 in the GCL, 2018 with the West Virginia Power, followed by dominating a half season of High A ball with Bradenton in 2019. A 1.65 ERA, a 6-3 record, and 69 strikeouts in his 12 starts earned him a call up to Altoona in late June. He struggled mightily and then found himself on IR a month later. In 2020, he was part of the Taxi Squad and by 2021, he emerged as a top pitching prospect. Sadly Bolton got hit with the injury bug again taking away his whole 2021 season with Tommy John surgery. 2022 was his chance to get back to his old form and it took him a bit but he seems to be on his way there. A 4-2 record, 3.09 ERA, and 82 strikeouts amongst his 30 appearances shows that he is a prime candidate to possibly make the team out of camp or an early call up when a man goes down. Bolton is definitely a man to keep an eye on. 

#28 UTIL Jack Brannigan: Drafted in the 3rd round in the 2022 draft out of Notre Dame, Brannigan brings a unique skill set to the table, he’s a two way player similar to Pirates prospect Bubba Chandler, and Angels star Shohei Ohtani. Brannigan is going to attempt to become a two way like Ohtani but experts project he might stick as a batter more than a pitcher. He can hit high 90s with his fastball but it’s inaccurate. They used him as a batter only in his small sample size with the FCL and Bradenton collecting 14RBIs amongst his 100 plate appearances. 2023 is a huge year to see where Brannigan will end up. 

#27 RHP Tahnaj Thomas: Formerly a Cleveland Guardians signing out of the Bahamas back in 2016, Thomas was looked at as one of the best pitchers in that international class. Thomas would then be traded in 2018 to the Pirates. He’d start his Pirates career with Bristol in 2019 as a starter putting up a 2-3 record, 3.17 ERA, and 59 strikeouts. 2020 he did not play pro ball but in 2021 he jumped up to High A Greensboro. As a starter again he put up good numbers 3-3 record and 62 strikeouts but the 5.19 ERA was very shaky. In 2022, he was sent to AA  Altoona but this time as a bullpen guy. He solidified himself as the closer, striking out 52 men over his 37 games along with a 3.02 ERA. Thomas will most likely start with AAA Indianapolis and has a decent chance to be called up if he continues his resurgence. 

#26 RHP Carmen Mlodzinski: The 31st overall pick in 2020 out of South Carolina, Mlodzinski had the makings to be an ace in his future. He spent the entirety of 2021 in High A Greensboro with a 2-3 record and a 3.93 ERA while striking out 64 men. He then moved up to AA Altoona where he struggled to adapt. He ended up turning it around towards the back half of the season finishing with 111 strikeouts in 27 games. The ERA of 4.78 could be worse but considering his early 2022 this is very good. Another year of AA I think would do him wonders and boost his value and stock back to where it should be. 

Come back in the coming days for #21-25 rankings!