One of the big developments of the past year in baseball is how many young players have risen to the top of prospect rankings. A look at MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list will show you just one player in the top 10 older than 21. Of course, while there's

The Pirates opted to protect most of their top prospects who were eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this year, selecting the contracts of outfielder/first baseman Esmerlyn Valdez (No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top Pirates prospects), infielder Jack Brannigan (No. 21), left-hander Tyler Samaniego and right-handers Wilber

For the Pirates to be successful, they’re always going to need a steady supply of talent from their farm system. Some top prospects were already added to the roster this past year, like Bubba Chandler, Hunter Barco, Rafael Flores and Thomas Harrington, but the Pirates still have a few more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- During the regular season, a Pirates prospect's meteoric rise earned Konnor Griffin – now MLB’s No. 1 overall -- Hitting Prospect of the Year honors. During the fall, fellow 2025 National League All-Star Futures Game representative Esmerlyn Valdez enjoyed his own offensive flurry in the desert en

MESA, Ariz. -- All that anyone could talk about during batting practice for the 2025 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby was Tony Blanco Jr. From “that’s the biggest guy I’ve ever seen” to “he’s a beast,” the 6-foot-7, 243-pound Pirates prospect drew a fawning crowd of his peers. Once

Ever since he started playing baseball, Esmerlyn Valdez’s favorite player has been José Bautista. More specifically, the legendary bat flip he tossed after his pivotal home run of the 2015 ALDS, a moment he dare not try to recreate. “They'll take me out of the game if I do that,”

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Tony Blanco Jr. certainly looks the part. As the 6-foot-7, 243-pounder strides into the box, wearing the same No. 99 made famous by this generation’s preeminent slugger, it seems he’s capable of the old axiom of “hitting the cover off the ball” every time he coils up

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – For just about any given baseball moment, there’s a “Bull Durham” quote that’s relevant. After Carlson Reed tossed four shutout innings on Wednesday in the Arizona Fall League, it clearly was the gem delivered by Crash Davis to Nuke LaLoosh during a mound visit: “Hey. Relax. Don’t

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Pirates turned their attention to the farm system this week, recognizing the top performing prospects for Minor League awards. Most of these players have been covered this year or will have more coverage in the near future, but first, let’s run down the award winners.

The temperature isn't the only thing that's been heating up in the desert with Week 2 of the Arizona Fall League in the books. After a shortened opening week -- due to rain from Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond, which forced the cancellation of several games -- players appeared

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- There is no professional hitter currently hotter than Esmerlyn Valdez. The Pirates’ 21-year-old outfield prospect hammered two more home runs Sunday during Salt River’s 11-3 win over Glendale at Goodyear Ballpark, giving him seven roundtrippers in eight games. He’s 10-for-20 during his time in the Arizona Fall

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – If Tony Blanco Jr. hits came with a tagline, it would likely be that while he may not collect them often, when he does, they’re hit extremely hard. And go incredibly far.

For some players, the Arizona Fall League can act like a last-chance saloon. The AFL is known widely as a showcase circuit, providing opportunity for some of the game’s best prospects to get in more work before the offseason begins. It’s also a shot for Minor Leaguers with upcoming Rule

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The 33rd season of the Arizona Fall League is a week old, and already, there are top prospects standing out amid the field of, well, top prospects. Here are the top performers from the first week of AFL action:

The Arizona Fall League is underway, offering a last look at Pirates prospects before 2025 wraps. We’ll be taking periodic looks at the Salt River Rafters throughout their season, but first, let’s break down three stories to watch. 1. Does Esmerlyn Valdez play himself onto the Pirates’ roster? Valdez was

The 2020 international signing period was delayed because of the pandemic, but once it opened in January of 2021, the Pirates got to work. They handed out 16 bonuses of six figures or higher, headlined by Shalin Polanco’s $2.35 million bonus. Close to the bottom of that bonus list was

ATLANTA -- As Termarr Johnson and Xzavion Curry walked out of Benjamin E. Mays High School’s main building earlier this week, students on the baseball team and cheerleading squad followed. Outside, a large truck sat at the curb. Johnson and Curry, two Mays High alums, stopped behind the truck and

As the 2025 Draft approached, there was general agreement that Mississippi high schooler Konnor Griffin likely had the best all-around set of raw tools in the entire class. But the emphasis was on raw. There were holes in his swing, some scouts said. That led to swing-and-miss concerns. Sure, he

The third annual MiLB Awards Show aired on MLB Network on Monday night with top prospects Konnor Griffin and Druw Jones on hand as hardware was handed out to the best of the best in the Minor Leagues during the 2025 season. If you missed the show, we’ve got you

ATLANTA -- Bubba Chandler was a Turner Field kid. Sure, he caught games at Truist Park when he was in high school, but when he reflects on those early years of watching his hometown Braves, he’s going to remember the team’s old stomping grounds and seeing his favorite players, like

This was a big year for top prospect promotions. Along with the dozens of Top 100 prospects to reach the Majors, four of the five that headlined MLB Pipeline's list at the beginning of the season were soon in the big leagues (Roki Sasaki, Roman Anthony, Dylan Crews, Jackson Jobe),

CINCINNATI -- Hunter Barco was recovering from Tommy John surgery when the Pirates selected him in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. In ‘24, the southpaw had a “stress response” that likely would have been a fracture had it not been addressed. There’s a difference between missing time

PITTSBURGH -- Henry Davis went to Bubba Chandler pregame Saturday and told him how he wanted the rookie to attack the Athletics’ lineup. The recipe: Fastballs in the top of the zone. Chandler established that pitch early and often, striking out the side in the top of the first to