Prospect Watch: Eddie King Jr., Easton Carmichael, Connor Wietgrefe

Eddie King Jr. is on a month-long on-base streak, while Easton Carmichael and Connor Wietgrefe stand out at new levels.

July 2nd.

That was the last time Eddie King Jr. failed to reach base.

The Bradenton Marauders outfielder has since gone on a stretch of reaching base 21 games in a row.

He’s had hits in 15 of those games, including multiple hits in seven games. He has multiple walks in five games. He’s reached base multiple times in 13 games.

What’s interesting about this stretch is that it’s the exact opposite of why King stood out to me earlier in the season.

Drafted in the 16th round in 2025 out of Louisville, King has some of the best raw power in the lower levels. He’s got a max exit velocity of 110.1 MPH this year, and an average of 88.1 MPH, which both rank top five at the level this season. When he connects, the ball tends to go a long way.

King hit seven home runs between May and June, but only hit around .200 during those months. He still got on base with walks, and his 17% walk rate this season has led to a .412 OBP, which expands beyond the current streak.

What stands out the most from the recent stretch is that he’s making contact, and not just home run contact. He hit .356 during the month of July, but only hit two home runs. His OBP was .500 for the month, with a 20.2% walk rate.

As a corner outfielder, King’s bat will be his driving value. He becomes more valuable as a well-rounded hitter, versus a three-outcomes guy fueled by power and a high walk rate. The current streak shows that he’s got the ability to be a consistent hitter, without needing to rely simply on power and walks.

One disclaimer is that King is 23-years-old and in Low-A. These results are similar to what he did with Louisville during his final two seasons, and Low-A is similar in talent to the college ranks. King probably won’t have issues in Greensboro, and the big test will be his eventual move to Altoona.

This streak should at least earn him a promotion to a higher level for the end of the season.

Easton Carmichael Moving Up

The Pirates recently promoted catcher Easton Carmichael to Double-A Altoona.

A week after the move, they traded Omar Alfonzo, the other catching prospect at the level.

Carmichael now stands alone for priority innings behind the plate, while also standing out for the quality of his bat.

The Pirates drafted Carmichael in the third round last year out of Oklahoma. Prior to the recent promotion, he’s only played in High-A Greensboro. Most players come with the disclaimer that Greensboro can inflate offensive numbers. Carmichael had similar, if not better results on the road, showing he wasn’t a product of the hitter-friendly home park.

In 337 plate appearances, Carmichael hit .305/.350/.518 with 16 home runs and 11 stolen bases. What stood out the most was his plate patience, limited to a 17.8% strikeout rate.

It’s too early to evaluate his Double-A metrics, but Carmichael has already shown some positive flashes at the plate. He has two multi-hit games, including one with multiple home runs. He’s likely to return to the Double-A level next season, but this run at the end of the season will give him some valuable experience to work with, similar to how he got his first taste of High-A at the end of the 2025 season.

Carmichael stands out in a trio of catching prospects near the top 10 prospects in the system, joining Richard Ramirez in Bradenton and Axiel Plaz in Greensboro. Alfonzo was behind that trio. The depth the Pirates had, especially with Carmichael moving up to the same level, made it possible to move Alfonzo.

Now, Carmichael will get the bulk of the playing time down the stretch at the Double-A level, preparing for a big season in 2027.

Plays of the Day

I wrote about Jhonny Severino in the Players of the Month article, noting his system-leading power. On Saturday night, he delivered his 27th home run of the season, along with a walk off single in the 10th inning.

You can check out both plays in Saturday’s Pirates Prospects Plays of the Day. Bookmark Pirates Prospects for your one-stop source for all Pirates minor league information.

Connor Wietgrefe Continues Breakout Season

One of the best stories in the Pirates’ minor league system this year has come from Connor Wietgrefe.

The left-handed starter, drafted in the seventh round in 2024, has put up breakout numbers in the upper levels. After a 3.51 ERA in 66.2 innings with Altoona, Wietgrefe was promoted to Indianapolis. Through seven starts, he has a 2.76 ERA in 42.1 innings.

Statcast metrics are available in Triple-A, allowing for details into what is fueling the success from Wietgrefe. His fastball only sits 90-91 MPH, and doesn’t get much swing and miss. He does get swing and miss from the slider (32.2%) and the changeup (41.2%).

The changeup quality explains why he holds right-handers to a .225 average this season, showing that he’s far from being a lefty specialist. The pitch also produces the highest ground ball rate among changeups in the Pirates’ system, with a 68.4% rate and only a 5.3% fly ball rate.

The slider stands out for how aggressively Wietgrefe attacks the zone with the pitch. Out of 29 pitchers with 50+ tracked sliders, Wietgrefe ranks third for sliders in the zone. He gets more in-zone swings than the two pitchers above him, and gets less contact in the zone. Only three other pitchers get a better in-zone contact rate on the slider.

Overall, Wietgrefe has the look of a potential back-of-the-rotation starter. He throws six pitches, but is led by a three pitch mix that grades average or better, with secondary stuff that trends above-average. He could emerge as a rotation depth option throughout the 2027 season.

Until the next time Eddie King Jr. gets on base…

-Tim Williams