First round pick Quinn Priester is on his way to Morgantown to finish out the 2019 season. The Pittsburgh Pirates moved him up two levels after he posted a 3.03 ERA in 32.2 innings with the GCL Pirates. He had a 1.19 WHIP, a .238 BAA, a 2.16 GO/AO ratio and a 37:10 SO/BB ratio.
As first mentioned on Twitter by his father, Priester found out today about the news. He just pitched yesterday and has been going every seven days (once was eight days due to a rain out), so we probably won’t see him pitch until Tuesday, which would keep him on his current schedule.
I talked to Priester tonight and he was obviously excited about the promotion. He talked about his pro debut in the GCL and now moving up two levels.
“The GCL experience was great,” Priester said. “Getting my first taste of pro ball and what it takes to be a professional was a great first step. Finding out I was being promoted was an incredible feeling of getting one step closer to Pittsburgh. And now being able to help a team at the next level win a championship is a challenge I’m excited to take on.”
The Pirates have occasionally moved up high school draft picks from the GCL in the past, but it’s still quite rare for them to advance them higher than the GCL during their draft season. As has been the case with some of the past examples, Morgantown is in a pennant race, so this will give Priester a chance to get in 1-2 extra starts, while also pitching in some big games.
