Three rising stars for the Pittsburgh Pirates
With spring training underway, each team is filled with hope for a World Series title and fresh faces are ready to make a name for themselves in the majors.
After a hot start in 2023, the Pittsburgh Pirates ended up in fourth place in the National League Central. They will look to bounce back and be competitive in 2024.
Here are three rising stars looking to make an impact for the Pirates in 2024.
Paul Skenes, pitcher
2023 MILB stats: 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched.
Selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is on the fast track to the MLB.
One of the most heralded pitching prospects in recent baseball history, the 21-year-old possesses a blazing fastball that averages 98 mph while topping out at 102 mph as well as a nasty slider that keeps hitters guessing in the batter's box.
Invited to spring training with the Pirates, Skenes threw three innings, allowing one run and striking out three batters in his short time before being re-assigned to their minor-league camp.
With only a handful of innings under his belt in the minors, Skenes will start the season in the minor-league system but will likely be with the big-league club before the All-Star break as he tries to help the franchise turn things around.
Henry Davis, catcher
2023 MLB stats: .213/.302/.351, seven home runs and 24 RBI in 62 games played
Like Skenes, Pirates catcher Henry Davis is another first-overall pick trying to make an impact in the MLB.
Making his MLB debut last season, the 24-year-old slashed .213/.302/.351 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 62 games while playing primarily in the outfield.
With an offseason injury to starting catcher Endy Rodriguez, Davis has stepped things up in spring training as he looks to snatch the job at the position he was drafted.
In seven games in spring training, Davis is slashing .333/.381/.833 with three home runs and eight RBI. He looks primed for a breakout season in 2024.
On a Pirates team projected to finish last in the National League Central, letting Davis take control behind the dish could be the start of a turnaround in Pittsburgh.
Termarr Johnson, second base
2023 MILB stats: .244/.422/.438, 18 home runs and 59 RBI in 105 games played
The fourth pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, second baseman Termarr Johnson had an outstanding professional debut slashing .244/.422/.438 with 31 extra-base hits, 59 RBI and an absurd 101 walks in 105 games played.
Showing such an advanced eye at only 19 years old, Johnson's 101 walks would have been good enough for fourth in the MLB.
Earing an invite to big-league camp this spring, Johnson has slashed .462/.500/1.000 with two home runs and four RBI while turning heads in camp.
While 2024 wasn't in the forecast for his MLB debut, Johnson could make a push for a taste of the MLB toward the end of the season if he can continue his progression through the minor-league system this year.
With Johnson, Skenes and Davis, the Pirates have a core of players that could lead to a bright future in the Steel City.
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