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Pirates' Seth Hernandez Making First Start Following Promotion

Jul 22, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seth Hernandez (left) the Pittsburgh Pirates first round and number six overall pick in the 2025 first year player draft talks with Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) before the game against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Pirates' Seth Hernandez Making First Start Following Promotion

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated May 14, 2026 2:00 PM ET

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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates young phenom Seth Hernandez has had quite the week and will now take another big step in his career

Hernandez will make his first start at High-A Greensboro on May 15 against Jersey Shore on the road, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on May 14 that he was "Looking forward to seeing his first one tonight," but Greensboro went with a different pitcher for that game and Hernandez will start the first weekend game of the series.

This is the first start for Hernandez following his promotion to Greensboro from Single-A Bradenton and also the first start since MLB Pipeline named him the top pitching prospect and third best prospect in baseball in their recent re-ranking.

Hernandez has a big opportunity ahead of him and this start is a good chance for him to keep impressing the Pirates and putting him on the right path for his future.

What to Expect From Hernandez in his First Greensboro Start

Hernandez was dominant with Bradenton, earning Florida State League Pitcher of the Month honors for April.

He posted a 3-0 record over six starts in 2026, a 0.96 ERA over 28.0 innings, 50 strikeouts to seven walks, a .135 batting average allowed (BAA), a 0.71 WHIP, plus a 16.07 K/9 and a 7.14 K/BB.

Hernandez threw his four pitches and threw them well, with his four-seam fastball reaching 100 mph, while his slider hit in the lower 90s as well.

The offspeed pitches, curveball, changeup and slider, were about half of his pitches with Bradenton and the other half came from his fastball.

Pitch	Usage	Average Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball	48.2%	97.1 mph
Curveball	17.3%	80.6 mph
Slider	18.1%	88.1 mph
Changeup	16.4%	83.6 mph

Hernandez excelled with how impressive his offspeed pitches were, particularly with the movement and break he generated on them.

This led to Hernandez having an incredibly high whiff rate, higher than 70% for his three offspeed pitches and getting 40 of his 48 strikeouts on those pitches.

Pitch	Strikeouts	Whiff Rate
Four-Seam Fastball	8	27.7% (23/83)
Slider	9	71.1% (27/38)
Curveball	16	73.1% (19/26)
Changeup	15	70.7% (29/41)

Expect Hernandez to rely on his fastball and use that to set up his offspeed pitches for strikeouts against Jersey Shore.

This will serve as his first professional start that hasn't come a week after his previous one, as this is just six games between his last start with Bradenton on May 8.

Cherington has been thrilled with what he's seen from Hernandez so far and also that he's done well between starts that have allowed him to maintain his dominance throughout.

"I think we expected him to show up and throw hard," Cherington said. "Have really great stuff, be exciting in that way. You don’t know with a high school pitcher how well they’re going to execute and do all those things.

"That’s been very encouraging, just how much he’s been in the zone with all of his pitches," Cherington said. "His mix, he’s getting outs with all of his pitches. He’s also been recovering really well. His between starts routine has been really strong. We’re excited about where he’s at. We’re excited about him getting a taste of High-A."