Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all that Endy Rodriguez took the leap he did in 2022. It was all right there.
After being one of the best hitters in the Low-A Southeast Division in 2021, Rodriguez exploded on the national scene last year, putting together one of the best season’s by a prospect in all of baseball.
So, who could follow that up this upcoming year? While no one may approach that kind of level that Endy did, some hitters put up some interesting underlying numbers in 2022 and will be worth watching in 2023.
Abrahan Gutierrez
The easy to forget catching prospect in the Pirates system, Gutierrez had another solid season in 2022. There is reason to believe he could tap into his offense more, based on some of his numbers.
A good recipe for success as a hitter? Put the ball in play, and if possible, make it a line drive. Hitting a line drive statistically improves your odds of getting on base, and you can’t get a hit if you swing and miss the baseball.
When it comes to those two things, Gutierrez was one of the best in the system. His line drive rate was the fifth best among all hitters with at least 250 plate appearances (25%) and he had a swinging strike rate of just 10%, the seventh lowest mark in the system.
Abrahan Gutierrez gives the Grasshoppers the lead with a 3 run home run in the 8th inning #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/w59Tk7LDy6
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) July 15, 2022
He also walks a good amount (11.8%), and was better on the road than he was in Greensboro (Road OPS .772, Home .762). Defensively, he has thrown out 27.22% of would be base stealers.
Catcher isn’t an overly big need in the system currently, but Gutierrez is strong offensively, and has shown some upside hitting the ball. Taking another step forward can supplant the Pirates in having some of the strongest depth at the position, prospect wise, in baseball.
Javier Rivas
The infielder, pictured above, spent his first season stateside in 2022 and gave plenty of reasons to be excited for this upcoming year. In 175 plate appearances in the FCL, Rivas posted a 111 wRC+, cutting his strike out rate down from his time in the DSL (29.2% down to 24.6%).
He also developed more power, going from six extra-base hits in 2021 in the Dominican, to 14 this past season. That is really evident in his line drive rate, going from 10.5% in 2021, to a far more respectable 21.6% in the FCL.
Rivas spent time at shortstop and third base last year, and could be a part of a potentially very exciting infield with Bradenton this upcoming season. He’s already taken one step forward.
Shalin Polanco/Yordany De Los Santos
While the first two players had more number-based metrics that played in their favor, for Polanco and De Los Santos, the focus is on the scouting side.
Polanco was one of the biggest international signings the Pirates have made in their history, and while he hasn’t put up the numbers, he just turned 19-years-old. There has always been more excitement about what he ‘could be’.
PITT OF prospect Shalin Polanco sends this deep into RF for the Home Run. This guy has put on a show down here at the complexes. Check out that cut. Pitcher Yonatan Pineda, welcome to FL pic.twitter.com/xtxRaxHEd5
— Eric_Birdland (@Eric_Birdland) May 12, 2022
If there is anyone in the system that has the skillset to take a huge step forward this upcoming season, it would be Polanco. He was MLB Pipeline’s pick to break out in the Pirates system this season as well.
Another big international signing, De Los Santos has the ‘look’ of a baseball player, and put up some interesting numbers in the DSL last year, including strong walk (13.7%) and strikeout rates (19.2%), 14 stolen bases, and a 22.8% line drive rate.
While numbers put up in the DSL can always be taken with a grain of salt, De Los Santos is the type of prospect that just kind of has the ‘it’ factor. According to Fangraphs, he broke the 20-80 scale for barrel rate when adjusted for his age and league, finishing with an 83.
We haven’t seen much from Polanco or De Los Santos but they both have kind of toolsets that translate to eventual success in baseball, sometimes it’s just a matter of getting on the field and playing.
Pitching Prospects
Pirates Pitching Prospects Who Could Take A Big Step Forward In 2023
