2025 MLB Farm Review: Pittsburgh Pirates

We’ll start with Low-A Bradenton, a team that housed many of the Pirates’ premier prospects. Konnor Griffin, Edward Florentino, Axiel Plaz, Tony Blanco Jr., and former second-round pick Wyatt Sanford all played with the Marauders at one point or another this season (not all at the same time, as you’ll see).

Griffin was the marquee name in the Florida State League to start the year. The shortstop had 1-1 potential in the 2024 MLB Draft but slid to the Pirates at #9. So far, that has been massive for the organization. 

Across 50 games, Griffin slashed .338/.396/.536 with nine home runs, 21 extra-base hits, and 26 stolen bases with Bradenton. He only walked 15 times but didn’t expand out of the zone much, below the league median. And eventually, he didn’t have anything left to prove at that level.

Edward Florentino (22.5% Chase%) showed even more strike-zone command than Griffin. Florentino had a great overall year, as the 19-year-old slashed .262/.380/.503 with 10 home runs and 27 extra-base hits across 54 games. It was a breakthrough campaign for him after he played in the DSL the year before and rolled through the FCL early on in 2025.

Now, as we noted in our Florida State League numbers recap, the Pirates had two of the best pure power hitters in the circuit in Blanco Jr. (seven home runs) and Plaz (nine). Both made considerable impressions in what were injury-shortened campaigns for the two. But in Blanco’s case, he was also one of the most egregious swing-and-miss hitters.

Wyatt Sanford (27.2% Whiff%) did fine in full-season ball. Sanford swiped 21 bases over 44 games and didn’t expand as much as his peers.

As for the pitching staff, arguably the most notable pitcher to suit up for Bradenton this past year was Levi Sterling, a 2024 first-rounder taken after Konnor Griffin at #37. Sterling only made one appearance, though, as he struck out four over 2.1 IP. The right-hander spent most of 2025 in the FCL, where he walked 21 over 31.2 IP.

The Marauders’ staff also had Matt Ager, a sixth-round pick out of UC Santa Barbara. Very little swing-and-miss (19.5% Whiff%) from Ager, who punched out 50 and walked 47 over 76 innings.

Greensboro Grasshoppers

One of the top teams in the South Atlantic League, Greensboro’s roster was littered with talent, including some names who jumped from Low-A Bradenton during the year.

However, we have to start with Esmerlyn Valdez, the 21-year-old who broke out the year before with Bradenton. Valdez hit 22 home runs with the Marauders in 2024 – and he had more in store for 2025. The slugging outfielder blasted 20 home runs and slashed .303/.385/.592 before Valdez forced a promotion.

Valdez has a pretty, powerful swing that certainly works to his benefit. The 21-year-old generates a ton of power, and often, he was able to work to center and the opposite field. Where Valdez was hurt in 2024 was the strikeout. He only struck out 77 times over 72 games, although the Whiff% (32.1%) was high in the SAL.

Eight players on the Grasshoppers were in double-digits in home runs last season. That list included Shalin Polanco, a bonus baby years ago, Lonnie White (39.4% Whiff%), and 2024 fifth-round pick Will Taylor. Taylor, drafted out of Clemson, also showed a lot of swing-and-miss (33.4%). 

And then there’s Konnor Griffin, who was no match for the South Atlantic League. Griffin assaulted High-A, as he slashed .325/.432/.510 with seven home runs and 20 extra-base hits over 51 contests. Little swing-and-miss (24.8% Whiff%), and he tallied 33 stolen bases to lead the entire team.

Sammy Stafura, the primary piece that the Pirates acquired for Ke’Bryan Hayes, slashed .160/.257/.255 with five extra-base hits in 26 contests.

Moving to the pitching staff, there were several standout performers. One of those was Aruban native Antwone Kelly.

Kelly, added to the Pirates’ 40-man roster this past November, didn’t put up eye-popping numbers in Low-A Bradenton the year before. The 22-year-old struck out 65 and walked 34 over 69 innings, although he showed good velocity, hitting 97-98 MPH. But this past season, Kelly struck out 70 over 59.1 IP with the Grasshoppers before he moved up to Double-A. He did well, there, too, as he struck out 46 and walked 16 over 48.

High Whiff% (30.6%) with Greensboro.

Another pitcher who excelled in High-A was Khristian Curtis, a 12th-round pick from 2023. Curtis (30.4% Whiff%) struck out 116 batters over 108.2 IP before he, too, was promoted to Altoona.

Altoona Curve

The Curve received a massive boost late in the season when Konnor Grififn was promoted to Double-A, his second in-season jump of the year. And Griffin, who managed every challenge well to that point, performed well with the Curve.

Griffin slashed .337/.418/.542 with five home runs and seven extra-base hits, plus six stolen bases over 21 contests. His Whiff% (29.8%) took a predictable jump in the short sample size. But what an impression it was for Griffin, who was taken out of high school just one year earlier.

The other first-round pick hitter on the Curve last season was Termarr Johnson. Johnson didn’t have a big year on paper, as the 2022 first-rounder hit nine home runs and 27 extra-base hits over 119 contests. At the same time, though, he was one of the most disciplined hitters in the Eastern League, which helped him earn 59 walks and a .363 on-base percentage.

Mitch Jebb, the Pirates’ second-round pick from 2023, stole a team-high 33 bases and walked more (59) than he struck out (56) in 2025. Jebb posted the second-lowest Whiff% (12.6%) and also had one of the highest take rates (58.6%).

Esmerlyn Valdez, after he was moved up from High-A, blasted six home runs and 14 extra-base hits over 51 games. Same story for Valdez with the Curve: he took a lot of pitches, many of which were not called strikes. Not a lot of swing-and-miss (27.7%), and this all came before he put on a show during the 2025 Arizona Fall League season.

The home run leader for the Curve was Nick Cimillo, a 25-year-old from Rutgers who was drafted as a 16th-round pick in 2022. Cimillo hit 20 home runs for Altoona last season.

As for the pitching staff, Wilber Dotel did enough to earn himself a spot on the Pirates’ 40-man roster. Dotel, a 23-year-old right-hander with a good slider and a mid-90s fastball, struck out a team-high 131 batters over 152.2 innings. There wasn’t a ton of swing-and-miss (26.4%) from Dotel last year. But it was nonetheless a strong run for a right-hander who signed for $65,000 five years ago as an amateur free agent.

Alessandro Ercolani, who struck out 93 over 76.2 IP with High-A Greensboro the year before, only had 68 over 100.1 IP. The 21-year-old (21.1% Whiff%) had one of the lowest swing-and-miss rates in the Eastern League.

Lastly, we can’t talk about the 2025 Curve without mentioning Hunter Barco. Barco struck out 34 over 25.2 scoreless innings to start the year, part of what was a big year for the left-hander.

Indianapolis Indians

As with many of our farm recaps from 2025, the Triple-A one will be abbreviated. This is simply because so many players from Triple-A aren’t exactly prospects. Rather, former Major Leaguers are looking to get their game right. Nick Solak, Jack Suwinski, DJ Stewart, Ji Hwan Bae, Carson Fulmer, and Colin Holderman were among those who played for the Indians this past year.

However, there were several marquee prospects in Indianapolis, most notably Bubba Chandler.

Chandler overwhelmed opposing hitters in Triple-A. The right-hander struck out a team-best 121 batters over 100 innings, along with Whiff% on his blistering four-seamer that was above 31%. He also sought to get hitters to chase often. It worked (27.4%), as Chandler induced a Chase% that ranked above the 70th percentile at the level. Yes, he did walk a lot of batters, with 53 over 100 innings. But it was hard to truly touch him.

The Pirates promoted Chandler to the Majors in August.

Aside from Chandler, Thomas Harrington and Hunter Barco also saw significant time in Indy. Harrington (8.1% Barrel%) didn’t perform well in Triple-A after his brief run with the big club. The right-hander conceded 20 home runs over 96 innings and wasn’t missing many bats.

Barco, meanwhile, struck out 82 over 73.2 IP and allowed just five home runs, even though opposing batters (6.7% Barrel%) were able to penetrate through the heavy two-seamer/slider pitcher from time to time.

As for the offense, Rafael Flores (9.8% Barrel% in Triple-A) did awfully well with Indy after he was acquired from the Yankees. The catcher/first baseman cracked six home runs and posted a .822 OPS with the Indians.

Early Projected Top 5 for 2026

1. Konnor Griffin
2. Bubba Chandler
3. Seth Hernandez
4. Edward Florentino
5. Hunter Barco

The Pirates have arguably the best overall prospect in the game (Griffin) and one of the top three pitching prospects (Chandler). Not to mention, an elite high school pitching prospect in Hernandez, plus upstart hitters in Florentino and Esmerlyn Valdez.

This list will very likely look significantly different come the middle of 2026. Chandler is an MLB pitcher now, while Barco has a good shot of being a contributor in Pittsburgh soon. Plus, Griffin, invited to big league camp in January, could win the starting shortstop job out of camp.

Exciting times are ahead for the Pirates.