Let’s continue rolling on our Pirates Prospects coverage talking about prospects 25 through 21. 

#25: Kyle Nicolas, RHP

A 2020 round B compensation pick from the Marlins out of Ball State, Nicolas put together a solid season in 2021 with a 6-4 record and a 4.18 ERA across two levels. Nicolas was traded along with fellow top prospect Connor Scott for Jacob Stallings in late 2021. Nicolas spent his entirety of 2022 at AA Altoona and put up a respectable 2-4 record, a 3.97 ERA, and 101 strikeouts. Nicolas continues to arise as one of the top prospects in the Pirates system. He is currently at training camp on a non roster invite and is slated to start 2023 at AAA Indianapolis. 

#24: Hudson Head, OF

The 2019 3rd round pick of the San Diego Padres, Head elected to go the pro route rather than college ball. He played rookie ball in 2019 and was a 2020 Covid year training site player. In January 2021, he was sent to the Pirates in part of the deal for Joe Musgrove. 2021 was a down year for Head only hitting .213 at single A Bradenton along with 50RBIs. 2022 was better at High A Greensboro with a .234 batting average with 40 RBIs. He should be in Altoona for 2023 which is the true test for the 21 year old. 

#23: Colin Selby, RHP

A 16th round pick in 2018 out of Randolph-Macon, Selby has blossomed into one of the top arms in the entirety of the Pirates system. Starting out in rookie ball Bristol, the potential immediately was there. 2019 and 2021 were both spent in Greensboro (different levels in 2019), including a 2.97 ERA in 2019 and 67 strikeouts in 2021. 2022 in AA Altoona was the true showing for Selby and earned him a spot on the Pirates 40 man roster in the offseason. A 2-2 record with a 2.20 ERA and 41 strikeouts. Selby will most likely start in AAA Indianapolis but don’t be surprised to see Selby in Pittsburgh in 2023. 

#22: Canaan Smith-Njigba, OF

A 4th round pick in 2017 out of high school for the Yankees, Njigba was known for his power out of high school in hopes it would translate to the pro level. 2017 and 2018 were only short season ball, but 2019 is when Smith-Njigba blossomed into a legit prospect at Charleston. A .307 average and 74RBIs got him an organizational all-star honors within New York’s system. In 2021 he was sent to the Pirates as the main piece back in the Jameson Taillon trade. 2021 was spent with AA Altoona where he slashed a .274 average and 40 RBIs before being selected to the 40 man roster in the offseason. Canaan began 2022 with Indianapolis hitting .277 before getting the call up to the big leagues. Unfortunately, a couple days after his debut Smith-Njigba would land on season ending IR. Expect him to be one of the last cuts or getting one of the final roster spots out of camp. This is a make or break year with such a crowded outfield around him. 

#21: Travis Swaggerty, OF

A 1st round pick in 2018 out of South Alabama, “T-Swag” was seen as the future cornerstone outfielder of the Pirates. Quickly climbing the ranks after killing the ball with Short Season WV Black Bears, he seemed to be a can’t miss player. After a great 2019 with Bradenton, Swaggerty had a comfortable spot in the top 5 prospects of the Pirates. He spent 2020 at the Alternate Training Site to continue working on his game. Swaggerty’s season would get cut short in 2021 too, only playing 12 games before having season ending surgery. His contract would still be selected in the offseason as the looks were on for a full 2022 season. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, as Swaggerty had 2 different IL stints. He still put up a respectable .254 batting average with 55 RBIs along with making his MLB Debut. The hopes for 2023 are similar to the ones above with Smith-Njigba, stay healthy and fight to keep your spot in a crowded outfield. 

Stay tuned as we continue our coverage of the top 30 Pirates prospects with #16-20!