Pirates Depth in Triple-A
Who do the Pirates have in Indianapolis?
The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington to the minors after yesterday’s game, with a corresponding move to be made prior to Friday’s contest against the Cincinnati Reds.
According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates will be recalling right-handed pitcher Kyle Nicolas.
Harrington picked up a save earlier this week, throwing four innings and allowing three runs to finish out an 8-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. He made a start prior to that, allowing six runs in four innings of work during his Major League debut.
Nicolas has made four appearances so far this season in Triple-A, allowing six runs in 4.2 combined innings. Two of his appearances saw him allow three runs each. Nicolas bounced back each time with a shutout inning. He will now look to give the Pirates added depth in the bullpen, after the Pirates sent down closer David Bednar after a rough start.
My article yesterday about April sample sizes is especially relevant to the minor leagues.
Spring Training doesn’t start in minor league baseball until the middle of March. The Indianapolis Indians have played eight games, with the largest sample sizes of at-bats sitting at 29.
This early in the season, history and ability can play a bigger role over recent results. Nicolas, for example, had a 3.95 ERA in 54.2 innings out of the bullpen last season, and has some of the best stuff in the upper-levels. While his start to the 2025 season has been slow, there’s a longer track record to suggest Nicolas is capable of good results.
With the Pirates off today, I wanted to look at players who could help the team as early-season depth. Nicolas has already been called upon, but who else stands out down in Triple-A during the early part of the season?
STARTING PITCHING
The Pirates have three notable prospects in their Triple-A rotation, led by top prospect Bubba Chandler.
After two starts, Chandler has pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out 12 and walking five.
Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows are the other two prospect starters. Ashcraft has made three starts, combining to allow six runs in 13.1 innings. Burrows has allowed one run in six innings across two starts.
The obvious theme here is that these starters have yet to build up to five innings in a single start. Chandler pitched Tuesday night, throwing four shutout innings and striking out eight, with just one hit allowed.
Chandler is clearly the biggest prospect who will arrive in Pittsburgh this year. For now, he’s of little use to the rotation if he’s not yet stretched out beyond four innings. Harrington got the early call to the rotation after getting stretched out during big league Spring Training.
If Chandler continues his current results while he continues to get stretched out, he would create a call-up discussion by the end of April.
For now, the only way these guys are coming up immediately would be if the Pirates decided to move a Triple-A starter to the bullpen. That seems unlikely at this point in the season, with the need to preserve starting pitching depth, and reliever depth still available.
He’s not a prospect, but Carson Fulmer is an early-season depth option. In his first start, he threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts. The Pirates already turned to Harrington over Fulmer, and they don’t need a starter at the moment. They do have multiple options.
RELIEF PITCHERS
In his first two appearances since being sent down, David Bednar has been perfect. He’s struck out three in two innings, with no walks or hits.
Bednar struggled throughout the 2024 season, and carried those struggles into the current year. This led to his demotion on April 1st, with the Pirates hoping that he can get back on track. Seeing him throwing perfect innings in Triple-A is a good sign that he might be able to rediscover what previously was working for him, allowing him to return to the big league bullpen.
I mentioned above that Nicolas hasn’t had the best early-season results, but his 2024 numbers make him one of the best options right now.
Another standout from the 2024 team is right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton. In 2024, Stratton had a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings, up until rupturing his patella tendon. He’s back on the mound, and has made four appearances this season, combining for one run in 5.2 innings. That’s a great sign, and should put Stratton as a candidate for early-season depth.
One reason the Pirates may have gone with Nicolas over Stratton is the fact that Stratton threw two innings last night, after throwing 1.2 innings on Sunday. It’s unlikely he would be available on Friday. By comparison, Nicolas last threw a single shutout inning on Tuesday, which was his only outing since last Friday.
Isaac Mattson is a sleeper in Triple-A, starting his 2025 season with one unearned run in 2.1 innings. Mattson had a great 2024 season, which resulted in a brief look at the Major League level in September. He’s likely behind Stratton and Nicolas on the depth charts, as both are on the 40-man roster.
Outside of Bednar, and the starters listed above, Nicolas and Stratton are the remaining pitching options on the 40-man roster.
The Pirates have Colin Holderman on the injured list, in addition to Bednar being sent down. Their relief group is thin right now, but has depth — with Nicolas and Stratton as the top options, and the hope for a quick turnaround by Bednar.
POSITION PLAYERS
Tsung-Che Cheng was called up this week to replace Jared Triolo, who went on the injured list with a back issue. Cheng can play the shortstop position, and currently represents the only option beyond starter Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
The Pirates only have three players in Triple-A who are off to a good start at the plate, and one of them is injured.
Nick Yorke, acquired at last year’s trade deadline, began the 2025 season going 5-for-15. He was then placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness, which he had been dealing with since the end of Spring Training.
The move was hopefully more of a precautionary measure, with the expectation that Yorke could return soon. He’s the top hitting prospect at the level, and with versatility to play infield and outfield, Yorke should find his way to the Majors at some point this season.
Matt Gorski is off to a great start after 29 at-bats, hitting .310/.375/.517 with a homer and three doubles. Gorski has played four games in left field, two in right, one in center, and one at first base. His versatility could make him an option if his hitting is maintained. Gorski has been streaky in the past, so a larger sample size would be needed before adding him to the 40-man roster.
Veteran minor league free agent DJ Stewart has two homers to start the year, fueling an .882 OPS that pairs with a .154 average. Stewart has played in the Majors every year since 2018, with a .622 OPS in 158 at-bats last year with the New York Mets. He could be called upon as depth at some point this season.
There are only five Indianapolis hitters on the 40-man roster, with Yorke being one of them. The other four have seen struggles at the beginning of the season.
Henry Davis is spending more time behind the plate, getting work on his defense and game calling. The offense hasn’t been there, but if you’re looking for a sign of hope, he’s 4-for-8 with a double in his last two games.
Ji Hwan Bae started the year in the Majors, only to be sent down after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Bae has 445 at-bats in the Majors, and has yet to show any improvements. He has a homer and a double in eight Triple-A at-bats, but would need to show a significant turnaround to outweigh his recurring MLB struggles.
Liover Peguero saw his numbers decline in Triple-A last year, and has yet to hit in over 211 at-bats in the Majors. His numbers this year have dropped further at the start of the season. A sign of hope is that he has reached base safely in his last seven games, with hits in six of those games. Like Bae, Peguero would need significant results for another opportunity.
The final player on the 40-man is Billy Cook, who was also acquired at last year’s trade deadline. Cook had a breakout season in 2024, but has started slow in Triple-A this year, going 2-for-22. He’s got the versatility to play first base and the outfield, but would need to hit to crack the roster.
Major League Needs
The starting rotation has depth, and no immediate need for help. Meanwhile, the bullpen has needs, but is already tapping into their depth.
On the hitting side, there’s really no immediate depth, outside of emergency situations like Cheng.
The Pirates do have players who are struggling early in the Majors. A lot of those struggles are in the outfield, with a questionable first base situation. This matches up with the available depth in the minors, though the small sample disclaimer applies.
With anywhere from 14 to 40 at-bats each between the struggling outfielders, the Pirates are still at a point where they should roll the dice with the guys they have.
Free agent Tommy Pham has put up a slow start, with a .400 OPS in 40 at-bats. Pham has been situationally productive, with a walk-off hit and an outfield assist nailing a runner at the plate in two wins over the past week. He’s also stolen three bases.
Adam Frazier was signed as a free agent to fill out the utility spot on the bench. Frazier has a .372 OPS in 38 at-bats, but with Triolo injured in the Majors, Yorke injured in the minors, and other utility options in the minors struggling, Frazier is provided needed depth.
Jack Suwinski lost his spot in the Majors last year, and was sent to Triple-A for most of the season, where he didn’t improve at the plate. Suwinski has a .427 OPS this year in 25 at-bats. His struggles in 2024 could provide a shorter leash than a veteran like Pham.
The Pirates acquired Enmanuel Valdez in a minor trade in December, and he’s played five games at first base this year. He’s got a .575 OPS in 17 at-bats, after a .633 OPS in 201 at-bats last year with Boston.
Outfielder Alexander Canario was added for cash considerations at the start of the season. In five games, he’s gone 1-for-14, after previously going 12-for-42 in his brief appearances with the Cubs across the last two seasons.
While the Pirates barely paid more than a waiver claim for each player, I think they will each get more than 5-to-7 games to prove themselves.
The only player knocking on the door at Triple-A, from a numbers standpoint, is Gorski. As noted above, he also has a track record of streaky hitting. Allowing more time for Gorski to show consistency would also allow more time for the above hitters to turn things around.
The extra time could also allow players like Davis and Cook to heat up, while allowing for Yorke to return from his injury.
At the moment, the Pirates don’t have much immediate depth on the position player side. They have depth on the pitching side, even after tapping into their relief depth.
The team is 5-8 right now, so there’s also no urgent need for a roster overhaul. A larger sample size by the end of the month should allow a more certain picture of their depth.
Until the next time I go live…
-Tim Williams
And hows about we have that end of April discussion right now, just for shits and giggles.
Bubba comes up and that affects, I'm betting, without any DL stints, Mlod. Would it not make sense to swing him over to the bullpen, or would that be contrary to their plans for him. Seems like they're determined to add another starter in the six-man rotation scheme of things.
Further... very interested for a long time now in this idea of expanded rotations for effectiveness and pitchers' health. I think back to the Golden Gate Warriors, I think it was, whose bench was continually rotated into the lineup, keeping everyone fresh.
Could the Pirates have THAT much pitching?
It would seem to me that BC (not the one by Johnny Hart) is planning to contend next year. Put Bubba in that rotation and stuff starts to hit the fan. AND given that they're stretching out everyone under the sun, it would seem to me he's putting himself in a place to make a big trade for one of those... whaddyacall'em? .... hitters to complement the pitching at long last.
Or am I just smoking off brand crack?
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"Of course, you realize, this means war."
-Wabbit
Tim, good article analyzing the current Pirate situation. In the near future, I'm wondering if you could address the following statement (either agree or disagree as you wish): "The Pirates won't compete because they just can't hit. Period." In my humble opinion, this boils down almost anything else one might choose to say in analyzing the Pirates to the one essential truth that the management seems hardly to recognize. They suck at bat. If you agree, you might also speculate on what they might do to change that reality. Thanks for interesting and insightful articles.