Our final installment of our Pirates prospect series. It’s what we have all been waiting for. Let’s get to it!

#5: 2B Nick Gonzales

A 2020 1st round pick out of New Mexico State, Gonzales is thriving off a chip on his shoulder after going undrafted out of high school. The Vail, Arizona native jumped right into the swing of things at the Pirates alternate training site during the Covid year. He made his pro debut with high A Greensboro in 2021 slashing a .302 average, 54 RBIs, and 18 home runs. All eyes were on “Gonzo” now as he was proving himself as a perennial all star. He made the Arizona Fall League roster for top prospects and continued his dominance. AA Altoona was next on the list for the second baseman where he started off hot before an injured heel sidelined him till the the midst of August. Despite the injury bug, Gonzales still slashed a .263 average, 33RBIs, and 7 home runs. He once again made it to the Arizona Fall League upon season’s end and made the all star team after his amazing performance. Gonzales is currently a non roster invite with the big league bucs and is really proving himself as one of the top prospects in the game. I expect him to start in AAA Indianapolis but don’t be surprised if you see his name on the big league roster by June. 

#4: C Henry Davis

A 1st overall pick out of Louisville in 2021, Davis was seen as the catcher of the future within the Pirates organization. He got a minor taste of affiliated ball playing in 6 contests for the Hoppers of high A including 2 home runs. He’d head back to Greensboro for the start of 2022 where he’d spend 22 games hitting .341 and 22 RBIs. He earned himself a promotion to AA Altoona where he’d immediately make an impact until the injury bug caught him too after taking a fastball to the hand during an at bat. He’d make his return in September and eventually make it to the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time. A .207 average with 18RBIs was the stat line in AA for Henry. Davis was at big league camp before being sent down where he should be slated to take one more small crack at AA before moving up to AAA Indianapolis and eventually to Pittsburgh as the catcher of the future. 

#3: 2B Termarr Johnson

A 2022 1st round pick out of high school, Termarr had some of the highest expectations any 18 year old could have. He was sent to Bradenton to get him used to affiliated ball where he impressed hitting .275 with 6RBIs and 1 home run in only 14 games. Termarr seems to be living up to the hype so far and I believe if the Pirates take their time with him, he could be the next superstar on their roster. He’s expected to be on High A Bradenton’s roster again but he is currently recovering from an injury suffered in training camp. 

#2: RHP Quinn Priester

The 1st round pick in 2019 out of Glendale Height, Indiana, the big 6’3 Priester had everything the Pirates wanted in a future ace and boy has he provided that so far. He went to the alternate training site along with the other top prospects to get some work in before debuting in affiliated ball in 2021 with Greensboro. 7-4 record with a 3.04 ERA striking out 98 batters in 20 games. A very impressive stat line that also included a chance to represent Team NL at the 2021 Futures game. The next step for Quinn was AA Altoona but an oblique injury put that on hold till mid June. Quinn immediately came in and showed why he’s the top arm in this system going 4-4 with a 2.87 ERA fanning 75 batters amongst his 15 appearances. He got two cracks at AAA Indianapolis to end the season too, going 1-1, a 3.86 ERA and striking out 10 batters. He was at big league camp as a non roster invite before getting sent down to minor league camp. Quinn will run the AAA rotation for 2023 but depending how well he handles AAA will determine when we will see him up in the big leagues, which I believe will be by the latest September. 

#1: C/1B/2B/OF Endy Rodriguez

A New York Mets international pool signing in 2018, the young catcher was seen just as a potential placeholder catcher that may be something someday. He impressed hitting well in the Dominican leagues or the Mets in 2018 and 2019 which caught some teams eyes especially now that the Mets are turning the corner on being a good baseball team. In early 2021, Endy was sent to the Pirates in a 3 team swap that included Joe Musgrove to the Padres and David Bednar and Hudson Head to the Pirates. No one knew what Endy was capable of next. In Bradenton hit .294 with 73 RBIs and 15 home runs and all of a sudden Rodriguez was turning more heads. Greensboro in 2022 was the next stop where he somehow topped his Bradenton number hitting .302 with 55 RBIs and 15 home runs in only 88 contests. AA Altoona was next where Henry Davis just went down with injury. Endy took that starting job, ran with it and didn’t look back. In 31 games he hit .356, 32 RBIs, and 8 home runs. Video game numbers. But wait there’s more! He then got promoted to AAA Indianapolis for the end of the season where he played in 6 games hitting .455 with 8 RBIs and a home run. Without question he was named Pirates prospect of the year and got himself a spot on the Pirates 40 man roster in the offseason. He is still at big league camp but will start at AAA Indianapolis to get more reps in before ultimately getting called up at some point in 2023. Between his bat, his glove, his arm, and oh yea his versatility,  (plays 1st base and the outfield too!), this kid is easily the best prospect the Pirates have seen in years. Bucco fans get excited because a diamond in the rough is making waves and he’s almost here. 

Thank you everyone for following along on this series and I hope you all enjoyed!