Three Intriguing Pirates Hitting Prospects To End 2026

He started off the year by batting .298/.413/.595 for an OPS of 1.008 in 23 games with Greensboro, serving as one of the best hitters in the South Atlantic League before earning a promotion to Double-A on April 30.

White is dominating at Altoona as well, hitting .300/.400/.576 for an OPS of .976 in 67 games and showing he's ready for Triple-A Indianapolis next season.

He's been one of the best hitters in the Eastern League over the past 30 days, slashing .408/.483/.803 for an OPS 1.286, leading all hitters in those four categories, first with 30 hits, tied-first with eight home runs, tied-fourth with 16 RBI and tied-sixth with 16 runs scored.

White has excelled this season by simply staying healthy, as his 90 games played are the most for any season in his career so far.

The Pirates took White out of Malvern Prep with the 64th overall pick back in the 2021 MLB Draft and he's finally starting to put it together at 23 years old.

If he can stay healthy the rest of the season, he'll put himself in great position to have a strong showing at Triple-A and maybe even make the Pirates roster next year.

Severino Showing Off His Power

Not many expected Severino to have quite the power output that he's had this season, but it's been impressive to see his growth in that area of his game.

Severino, who they acquired in the Carlos Santana trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on July 27, 2023, leads all Pirates minor leaguers and the South Atlantic League with 28 home runs, while slashing .259/.303/.555 for an OPS of .858.

He leads with 82 RBI, while also ranking, third with 73 runs scored, fourth in slugging percentage, tied-fifth with 21 doubles, tied-eighth in 92 hits, 13th in OPS

Severino has had a big improvement in his power, with his slugging percentage increasing 196 points and OPS increasing 222 points, compared to his struggles at Bradenton last year.

He has hit better at First National Bank Field, a notorious hitter's ballpark, batting .269/.317/.620 for an OPS of .937 at home and hitting .250/.291/.495 for an OPS of .786 on the road.

The Pirates will hope that Severino can hit better on the road, but there are hopes that the 21-year old can start developing into that power-hitting right-handed bat for the future.

Early Looks at Phelps after 2026 MLB Draft

The Pirates took Phelps in the ninth round of the 2026 MLB Draft out of Georgia and they were quite surprised he fell that low.

Phelps hit 41 home runs over three seasons with the Bulldogs, including 19 home runs as a junior in 2026, while batting .348/.468/.628 for an OPS of 1.096.

He has played just three games so far, but already hit his first home run for Bradenton and could have a really strong finish to his first professional stint.

Phelps projects as a strong power hitter, and if he can end this year with a few more home runs, that bodes really well for the 2027 campaign.