Pittsburgh Pirates News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Feb 18, 2025; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Hunter Barco (89) poses for a photo during media day at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Pirates Pitching Prospect Named Rookie of the Year Candidate

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Jan 28, 2026 5:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the better farm systems in all of baseball and players ready to make a serious impact in 2026.

The Pirates have the likes of top prospect Konnor Griffin and top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler with both potentially making big contributions in 2026 at the major league level.

Pittsburgh also has two of the top prospects of the future in outfielder Edward Florentino, who had a breakout season in 2025, and right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, who they took sixth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft.

One other name that fans should watch out for is left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco, who has earned some high praise this offseason.

Pirates' Hunter Barco Named Rookie of the Year Candidate

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN made his top 100 prospects list recently, but also looked at prospects that missed out who may also have good years in 2026.

McDaniel made his prospect list from 101-200 and put Barco at 184th, a lower ranking, but also named him for a superlative.

He named Barco and one other pitcher as candidates for the Rookie of the Year Award, looking at pitchers that will get to at least 100 innings.

It's not a bad conversation for Barco to be in, as he could join teammate Paul Skenes in doing so, as he won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner.

Barco's 2025 Season With the Pirates

He stands 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds and looks the part for what many envision as a strong left-handed starting pitcher at the major league level.

His sinker is his main pitch, but he also incorporates a slider that sits in the low 80-mph range and works well both inside and outside the zone. He uses his splitter similarly, which also generates movement and is another strikeout pitch.

He managed to make it up to the major league level towards the end of this past season and made his MLB debut vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sept. 23.

Barco threw a scoreless sixth inning and helped the Pirates get a 4-2 victory, earning his first MLB win.

He became the first left-handed pitcher in Pirates history to win his first game since Paul Maholm did so on Aug. 30, 2005.

Barco threw two scoreless innings in relief in the regular season finale, a 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 28.

Barco's Tenure with the Pirates

The 25-year old has had a long road from the time the Pirates took him 44th overall in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Florida, as he had Tommy John surgery before his selection.

He pitched towards the end of 2023, before spending most of 2024 with Greensboro, where he had a 4-1 record in 16 appearances and 14 starts, a 3.34 ERA over 62.0 innings pitched, 77 strikeouts to 22 walks, a .207 opposing batting average and a 1.10 WHIP.

A leg injury kept him to just two starts at Altoona, but he came back in 2025 and set a franchise record with the longest scoreless inning streak to start a season at 25.2 innings pitched at Double-A. He also earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Month Award in April.

Barco moved up to Indianapolis, where he didn't pitch quite as well, but still finished with a 3-1 record over 21 outings and seven starts, a 3.79 ERA over 73.2 innings pitched, 82 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .215 opposing batting average and a 1.37 WHIP.

The Pirates have a valuable left-hander that will likely get a shot at the bullpen to start out in 2026, but could develop into an important starter at some point as well.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: