Pirates 2025 First-Round Pick Continues to Dominate

Overview of Seth Hernandez's Start vs. Palm Beach

Hernandez relied heavily on his four-seam fastball, understandable, as he's reaching 100 mph at just 19 years old.

His four-seam fastball is also moving as if it's a sinker, with 16.8 inches of inverted break, making it almost impossible for hitters at his level to hit.

Hernandez also has a slider, that does end up registering as a cutter on statcast, and utilized his curveball and changeup too, throwing his offspeed pitches 56% of the time.

Hernandez got 18 whiffs on 24 swings from Palm Beach, for a 75% whiff rate, tied for the best in the Florida State League (FSL) since Statcast started there in 2021, according to Allison Mast of MLB.com.

The most trouble he had was in the second inning, where he hit a batter and then walked another, but got out unscathed after on a caught stealing at third base.

Why There's So Much Promise for Hernandez

Hernandez looks far advanced for his age, comparable to Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, also 19 years old, but now on a nine-year, $140 million contract.

Standing 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, he has a commanding presence on the mound and one that should grace the major leagues by the 2028 season.

His pitch mix is already impressive with a fastball that's almost unhittable, a quick slider, plus both a curveball and a changeup that each have great movement.

Hernandez is coming off a great first start in his professional debut on April 3, where he had eight strikeouts over three innings and 39 pitches, while allowing just three hits and a run.

His K/9 is at 19.29, which is just ridiculous, but shows how talented Hernandez really is.

The Pirates won't promote Hernandez like they did Griffin, who made it to Double-A Altoona and then the majors less than two years after they took him ninth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, but they'll give him chances to show he belongs at higher levels earlier on.

Hernandez is on a pitch count, throwing 39 pitches in his first start and 53 pitches in his second start, so he'll increase his work load as the season progresses.

If he continues pitching like this, it will make for a difficult decision for the Pirates, who will have to seriously consider promoting him to High-A Greensboro sooner rather than later.

Hernandez is already the 26th best prospect for MLB Pipeline and 20th for Baseball America, but could end up as the best pitching prospect in baseball by 2027.