The path is anything but linear or without obstacles, but with each passing start, the dream of seeing Seth Hernandez and Paul Skenes atop the Pirates rotation becomes a little more exciting, if not realistic.
Hernandez toed the rubber for his fifth pro start and once again stole the show, striking out nine for a second consecutive start for Single-A Bradenton, which edged Lakeland, 5-4, on Friday night at LECOM Park.
Pittsburgh's No. 2 prospect allowed a pair of solo homers -- the first two he's allowed as a pro -- and six hits and a walk, while tossing a season-high 70 pitches (47 strikes).
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As has proven to often be the case, MLB's No. 24 prospect established his presence in the opening frame, fanning a pair to kick off the game. Through his first five starts, Hernandez has fanned 11 of the 18 batters he's faced in first innings this year. Although Lakeland's Anibal Salas and Zach MacDonald (Tigers) reached him for solo jacks in the second and third innings, respectively, Hernandez didn't pitch himself into trouble -- he didn't allow more than one runner on base at any point.
The 19-year-old reached 99 mph in his final frame, averaged 96.5 mph on his heater and generated a professional-best 19 whiffs on 37 swings (51.4 percent).
One interesting aspect of Hernandez's outing is how it might actually be classified as his worst as a pro. Such is life for the youngster who took the Minors by storm with a dominant April.
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The sixth overall pick in the 2025 Draft has been the very definition of unhittable during his first month as a pro. After allowing a run in the first inning of his first start, Hernandez went unscored upon while allowing a lone hit with 29 strikeouts in the following 16 innings.
It remains to be seen how long the Pirates will keep Hernandez in the Florida State League. His total dominance of opposing batters thus far is akin to video-game numbers. Needless to say, his name sits atop the circuit's leaderboards in numerous categories.
Including his performance on Friday, the Pomona, Calif., native owns a 1.23 ERA, an 0.73 WHIP and a 41/6 K/BB ratio across 22 innings. Opposing batters are hitting .133 (10-for-75) against Hernandez, who owns an otherworldly 50 percent strikeout rate.
Of course, the signs were there before he ever threw an official pitch. Hernandez opened his outing during Spring Breakout in March with a first-pitch 102.4 mph fastball to Tigers phenom Max Clark (DET No. 2/MLB No. 8).
The offering drew an amusing response from Clark, who later commented that the pitch looked "a little bit like a beam of light."
Those beams keep getting brighter with each passing start.