Hunter Barco on the Outside of Projected Starting Rotation?
Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed pitching prospect Hunter Barco appears to be on the outside of the team's initial five-man starting rotation. The southpaw is expected to be in the mix for the final rotation spot but appears to be trending toward opening the season as a reliever or back at Triple-A. With Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Mitch Keller, and Braxton Ashcraft locked into the top-4 spots, Barco will have to compete for the No. 5 job alongside Jose Urquidy. While Urquidy spent all of the 2024 season and the majority of 2025 on the shelf working his way back from Tommy John, he has much more MLB experience than that young left-hander. From 2020 through 2022, Urquidy held a 3.71 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP across 301 innings. While Barco could make a strong case in camp, given his lack of experience, the Pirates may turn to the veteran. However, if Urquidy stumbles out of the gate, Barco would emerge as a sneaky stash candidate in deeper formats. Last summer, Barco logged just three innings with the Pirates but did not allow a run while posting a 3:0 K:BB.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
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