X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Pittsburgh Pirates: Top 10 Dynasty Prospects

Marc Hulet ranks the Top 10 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system for 2020 fantasy baseball dynasty leagues. The system has a few high-ceiling players but limited depth and lots of risks.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will be our next stop on the farm to evaluate the best prospects on each MLB team. Once the 2020 MLB season begins, it may turn out that Minor League systems will be more important than usual. Franchises are losing money during the pandemic layoff, so many teams will be looking for sources of cheap production. It might also take older players longer to rebound from a long layoff meaning we could see more injuries and more roster moves. We might even see expanded rosters, at least in the early going.

One important question to ask is: How will a long layoff affect prospects? One has to assume the more advanced prospects prior to the work stoppage will be at an advantage, while the more “toolsy but raw” type could be hurt with the lack of repetition and in-game action; throwing or hitting in simulated environments just doesn’t match up to the real thing. Many prospects will have to work jobs during the pandemic just to make ends meet, while players who signed for large bonuses will have an advantage. Other prospects that lack strong discipline and commitment to their craft could struggle to stay in shape.

We won’t really know what the layoff impact will have on baseball in general until things start ramping up. But we do know that a strong prospect pool will continue to be an important element for a successful baseball franchise. We're looking at the Top 10 (or more) dynasty prospects in each organization with an eye to discovering which organizations are best positioned to succeed with their player development when games resume. Make sure to check out all of our prospect content, including Top 50 for 2020 and Top 250 for Dynasty Leagues.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Quick Synopsis

The Pirates system is a modest one with some interesting players but most possess just modest ceilings or significant risk. The trade of veteran outfielder Starling Marte to Arizona brought in two high-ceiling lottery tickets.

 

1. Mitch Keller, RHP

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 64
2020 Prospect Rank: 25
2020 LEVEL: AAA
MLB ETA: 2020

Keller has the makings of a solid No. 3/4 starter but he struggled his control during his MLB debut and gave up a whopping 72 hits in 48 innings. The other worrisome thing with Keller is that his previously-impressive ground-ball rates have dried up since he reached Triple-A in 2018. When he’s on, Keller has shown the ability to miss a lot of bats and he has a strong frame to provide lots of innings.

2. Oneil Cruz, SS

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 75
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2021

Cruz possibly has the highest ceiling in the system thanks to his plus-plus raw power. Just 21, he stands 6-foot-7 but his long levers also lead to timing issues and lots of swing-and-miss. His apparent athleticism should help him improve with further experience but lost development time in 2019 due to injury did him no favors — nor will the time lost to the pandemic. Cruz is no long-term shortstop and is likely best-suited for right field given his rocket arm.

3. Brennan Malone, RHP

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 112
2020 LEVEL: SS-A
MLB ETA: 2023

One of my favorite high school pitchers available in the 2019 draft, Malone was a great addition from the Diamondbacks during the Starling Marte deal. He has a chance for four average-or-better offerings. His fastball already hits 95-96 mph, and he could add some velo as his body matures. His athleticism should help him achieve at least average command and control in time.

4. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 130
2020 Prospect Rank: 37
2020 LEVEL: AAA
MLB ETA: 2020

Hayes’ ceiling has lowered a bit over the past year or two and he now looks like more of solid-but-unspectacular player who may struggle to hold down a full-time job in the Majors. He finally hit double-digit home runs for the first time in his five-year pro career but he also failed to be a league-average hitter for the first time. Hayes likely wouldn’t be a much of an upgrade, if any, to current third baseman Colin Moran although he has above-average athleticism so there is still a glimmer of hope that things will eventually click.

5. Travis Swaggerty, OF

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 144
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2021

Swaggerty is another intriguing player because of his power/speed potential to go with his above-average athleticism. But he also lacks natural feel for hitting and struggles to repeat his swing, which leads to an inconsistent bat path and, in turn, too much swing-and-miss and not enough hard-hit balls. He’s still just 22 but the layoff from the pandemic will not help as he needs lots of at-bats against quality pitching to figure things out. But if it clicks, there is 20-20 potential here.

6. Sammy Siani, OF

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 166
2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2023

Selected 37th overall out of high school in 2019, Siani has an advanced feel for hitting that should allow him to move relatively quickly through the minors. The big question mark with this player is whether or not he’ll hit for enough power to hold down a corner outfield slot. He has enough speed to steal 15-20 bases.

7. Quinn Priester, RHP

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 175
2020 LEVEL: SS-A
MLB ETA: 2023

A multi-sport star in high school, Priester was nabbed 18th overall in the 2019 amateur draft and showed a better-than-expected feel for pitching. He wasn’t phased by the pro environment and he posted a K-BB of 41-14 in 36.2 innings split between two levels. Priester can already work his heater into the 95-97 mph range and has a potential for three average-or-better offerings.

8. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 221
2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2022

Thomas is a very projectable pitcher with an excellent frame that continues to fill out. The 20-year-old hurler held his own in short-season A-ball in 2019 by posting a K-BB of 59-14 in 48.1 innings. He has an excellent fastball-slider combination but needs to find a reliable third offering to stick as a starter.

9. Ji-Hwan Bae, 2B/SS

Dynasty Prospect Rank: 238
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022

Bae has now played 121 pro games without hitting a home run but power will probably never be a big part of his game. He’s a natural hitter with good speed as witnessed by his .323 batting average and 31 stolen bases in just 86 games in 2019 at the Low-A ball level.

10. Liover Peguero, SS

2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2023

Peguero has a chance to zoom up the Pirates’ top prospect list over the next year (assuming players can get onto the field). He has electric bat speed and should grow into above-average power as he matures. He also has above-average speed and could eventually steal 20+ bases.

More Prospect Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Jack Eichel

Notches Two Assists In Game 5 Victory
Sebastian Aho

Sends Hurricanes To Round 2
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Linus Ullmark

Records Shutout In Elimination Game
Brady Tkachuk

Extends Point Streak To Four Games
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Pavel Dorofeyev

Doesn't Finish Game 5
Filip Gustavsson

Exits Early Due To Illness
Aaron Ekblad

Slapped With Two-Game Suspension
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Played Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Ben Rice

Smacks Two Homers To End Slump
Jorge Polanco

Hits Two More Homers, Drives In Five
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Set To Start Wednesday
Shota Imanaga

Exits With Leg Cramps
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60th At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18th At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18th At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great," Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF