Friday, October 17

As we continue to wrap up the 2025 season and take a look toward ‘26, let’s take a look at the Pirates’ farm system. As a whole, the group looks better than a year ago, due in part to continued development of some key players and a handful of Trade Deadline deals. 

So whom should we be paying attention to as we prepare for next season?

Three players who are now on the radar
Konnor Griffin is an obvious answer, and I’ve written several times about Esmerlyn Valdez. Who are the three other Pirate prospects who emerged this year?

Edward Florentino is the big winner, rising to the No. 81 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list. The 18-year-old outfielder had a terrific first showing with Single-A Bradenton, slashing .262/.380/.503 with 10 home runs and 29 stolen bases in just 54 games. Florentino has real pop, but perhaps just as impressive is that he doesn’t chase much, and he has great contact numbers on pitches in the zone. You don’t see many teenagers with that type of profile, and he could grow into being one of the game’s top prospects in 2026.

Wilber Dotel (the Pirates’ No. 28 prospect) entered last offseason with a mid-90s fastball, but he developed new tools this year with new offspeed offerings to support it. The splitter gave him a diving pitch that let him effectively use the lower part of the strike zone (or have a pitch that looks like a low strike and then dives below), and the cutter was able to play in the whole zone. Double-A Altoona pitching coach Matt Ford described it as a “career changer” in May.

Will Taylor was a wild-card fifth-round Draft pick in 2024, a dice roll on a former top prospect after he had a football injury with Clemson. Taylor showed a combination of power and speed, hitting 14 homers and swiping 23 bags (with an .831 OPS) while making the jump from Bradenton to High-A Greensboro. He is playing in the Arizona Fall League to get more reps, and he still has the potential to be a top 30 prospect.

Two breakout picks
What’s a better breakout prediction: picking someone from the bottom half of the prospects list who could rise to the top, or choosing an unranked prospect who could make the leap to the top 30? Let’s play it safe and pick one of each.

Jeter Martinez (No. 24) was acquired from the Mariners for Caleb Ferguson at the Trade Deadline, and while he has some command issues to iron out, he has stuff. The 19-year-old right-hander’s fastball sits in the mid-90s, and his 6-foot-4 frame suggests he can add a few more ticks. I’ve heard good things about the breaking ball, and seeing him at Pirate City, it does move. Continued development of his changeup and ironing out that control is going to determine if he’s a starter or a reliever, but if he moves to the bullpen, he has the potential to be a stud.

Sticking with right-handed power throwers, Antwone Kelly worked in pitching labs for the first time this past offseason and saw his fastball finally rise to 100 mph. The trips were worth more than just a little velocity, too, as he had a 3.02 ERA and 116 strikeouts over 107 1/3 innings between Greensboro and Altoona. He probably profiles better out of the bullpen, where he could be one of the harder throwers in the system.

One big question for 2026
Griffin might be the best position player prospect the Pirates have ever had. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be the best player they’ve ever produced from the Minors (MVPs like Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen are obvious answers), but I don’t know if there has ever been this much buzz for a Pirates Minor League hitter. He’s the No. 1 prospect in the game and cleaning up in the postseason awards.

So will we see Griffin in Pittsburgh in 2026?

Based on conversations I had at the end of the season, I will hazard a guess that Griffin will start next year with Triple-A Indianapolis. If he performs well there, I don’t know how long he can be kept from Pittsburgh. The left side of the infield needs an upgrade. If the Pirates pick up a third baseman and have Jared Triolo start the year as the shortstop, there would be a very clear path for Griffin to reach the Majors.

Griffin will have to earn the opportunity. But after seeing how he just handled his first full season in pro ball, it’s a real possibility. 

In 1969, a collection of writers, broadcasters and fans voted on a Centennial Team, celebrating the first 100 years of Major League Baseball. How many Pirates were “starters” on that team?

A. Zero

B. One

C. Two

D. Three

Monday marked the 65th anniversary of the Pirates’ Game 7 victory over the Yankees to clinch the 1960 World Series. To celebrate, let’s look back at perhaps the two biggest home runs in franchise history.

Of course Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth is immortal, but don’t forget about Hal Smith’s three-run shot in the eighth that gave the Pirates the lead. Going by win probability added, Smith turning a one-run deficit into a two-run lead that late was actually the more valuable of the two hits.

• 3 Pirates storylines to follow in the Arizona Fall League

• Who is each team’s prospect of the year?

C. Two

Honus Wagner and Pie Traynor were both recognized as the best player at his positions and got starts over the likes of Jackie Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Ernie Banks and Joe Cronin. Going based on what logo is on their Hall of Fame plaque, the only other teams with multiple starters were the Yankees (Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig) and the Tigers (Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane). 

To subscribe to Pirates Beat, visit this page and mark "Pirates Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Pirates or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.