This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH -- Seth Hernandez met with Paul Skenes on the day he signed his professional contract on July 22, 2025, and told him he’d soon be helping the big league squad. Konnor Griffin, the Pirates' first-rounder in 2024, told Skenes, the 2023 top pick, the same thing after he signed with Pittsburgh.
Skenes debuted in the Majors at 21, less than a year out of LSU, while Griffin was just 19 when he made The Show. Hernandez, the Pirates' No. 6 pick in 2025 out of Corona High School in California, hopes to follow the rapid rise to The Show.
“A goal that I always think about is making the big leagues while I'm still 20 years old,” Hernandez told MLB.com. “So if I could make it before June 28 of next year, that would be pretty awesome.”
Hernandez, baseball’s No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is headed to Philadelphia for the All-Star Futures Game as one of two Pirates representatives. In less than a year in professional baseball, Hernandez has risen to the top right-handed pitching prospect in the sport, also becoming the first Minor Leaguer to 100 strikeouts in 2026.
Now, Hernandez, also Pittsburgh's No. 1 prospect, will showcase his talents among the best across every farm system after tossing a 2.59 ERA across 15 starts at Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro. Hernandez said it’s hard not to see the prospect rankings and stories that praise him. He remembers first seeing social-media hype after hitting 100 mph for the first time at the Area Code Baseball tournaments before his senior year of high school.
So far in professional baseball, Hernandez is most proud of hitting 100 strikeouts. However, he sees beyond the numbers. His high school coach, Andy Wise, described Hernandez as “graceful” on the mound.
Hernandez, at 6-foot-4, models his game after pitchers who “move down the mound,” most notably Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler. With plenty of velocity and a 70-grade fastball, Hernandez enjoys being seen as a “stuff guy.”
“Pitching is an art for me,” Hernandez said. “So I not only enjoy the strikeouts, but I enjoy a well-executed strikeout.”
“He’s one of the most uber-talented pitchers I've ever been around for the age,” Bradenton pitching coach Matt Ford said. “I don't think I’ve ever had a high school kid that polished.”
With a talent like Hernandez, Pittsburgh will take caution. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington joked on 93.7 The Fan that the organization must “remind ourselves that he is 12 months out from high school prom.” Hernandez said he, of course, manifests making the Majors, but also stays in the present.
On his climb to the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, Hernandez played both ways for Wise at Corona. Wise, a former pitcher himself, closely monitored his pitch count and his activities the day after a start. At times, the kid in Hernandez would want to toss the ball around, but Wise made sure to shut it down when needed.
Now at 66 innings, Hernandez said he’s already thrown more than he ever has before in a year. Pirates director of coaching and player development Michael Chernow added that it’s a collaborative process in figuring out how to manage Hernandez’s workload.
COMPLETE PIRATES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Hernandez faced his first bout with adversity in his final game at Corona, when the Panthers fell to St. John Bosco, 2-0. It was the first time Hernandez lost, checking another box in Wise’s eyes that he could deal with a bad day. Hernandez then slid on Draft day just a bit further than expected, landing at No. 6 after projecting as a top-three pick.
Now in professional baseball, Hernandez continues to find his stride. He currently pitches in Greensboro, a hitter-friendly ballpark. Playing in High-A has changed his routine, heading on the road for the first time. Hernandez said he makes sure not to get complacent in his work, preparing for days where an element of the game may not go his way.
Hernandez hasn’t had many of those days yet. But the 20-year-old knows -- regardless of his age -- what he’s capable of and what could lie ahead.
“These guys are trying to take food off your plate,” Hernandez said. “So you've got to be able to go out and compete. Yeah, these guys are older than me, but you’ve got to be able to go out and grind and can't really think too much about, ‘Oh, I'm young, so I have an advantage.’”