Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2024 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. RHP Bubba Chandler | 22 | AAA | 2025
Here’s what I wrote about Chandler on last year’s list:
“His 1.50 WHIP across 24 High-A starts isn’t particularly impressive, but his game log tells a different story. Over his final nine starts, he posted a 0.82 WHIP and 1.66 ERA, culminating in five shutout innings during his Double-A debut. He struck out eight batters and allowed one hit and zero walks that night. I think his 2024 will include a lot of nights like it.”
Didn’t take a crystal ball to see this one coming, to be fair, but it was fun to see Chandler come into his own a couple years after ditching hitting to focus full time on his craft. The 6’2” 200 lb power righty cruised through 119.2 innings across two levels with 148 strikeouts along with a 3.08 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He’ll throw any of his four pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup) at any time and command each of them pretty well. If Pittsburgh can piece together a plus defensive team over the next few seasons, they should be contenders on the strength of an impressive pitching staff.
2. SS Konnor Griffin | 18 | NA | 2029
Straight from the Department of This Is What They Look Like, Griffin checks in 6’4” 215 lbs with easy speed and power. He was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year after winning his third straight title for Jackson Prep in Mississippi. It’s no exaggeration to say he might steal 100 bases in a minor league season considering he stole 87 in 88 attempts in his final high school season. Somewhat shockingly for a player his size and age, he’s a good defensive shortstop already and has the arm and speed to become an elite defender if his hands keep coming along.
3. 2B Termarr Johnson | 20 | A+ | 2025
The 4th overall pick in 2022, Johnson posted another solid season in 2024, posting a 123 wRC+ in 110 High-A games. He finished the season with 14 Double-A games and logged a 98 wRC+ there. The outcomes have always been positive, but the way he gets there isn’t exactly conventional. Listed at 5’7” 175 lbs, Johnson employs a crouch from the left side and gets the most out of his tiny strike zone via extreme patience. He did manage 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 124 games across two levels, but I’m hesitant here because I don’t always love the extreme-patience approach.
4. RHP Braxton Ashcraft | 25 | AAA | 2025
A 2nd round pick in 2018, Ashcraft closed the season by kicking some serious ash in Triple-A, recording a 0.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 19.1 innings. He was pretty good in 53.2 Double-A innings before that as well, winding up with a 3.69 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 53.2 innings on the strength of a fastball that touches 98 and a slider he can consistently spot. He pairs those with a curveball and changeup. At 6’5” 195 lbs, Ashcraft has endured a journey full of stops and starts and retains some upside that’s obscured a bit by his age.
5. RHP Thomas Harrington | 23 | AAA | 2025
I think Harrington could’ve helped this season, but Pittsburgh’s pitching staff stayed mostly healthy, and the team didn’t stay in contention throughout the year. In 117.1 innings across three levels, Harrington posted a 2.61 ERA and 0.963 WHIP with 115 strikeouts and only 19 walks. He commands for solid pitches in his fastball, slider, cutter and changeup, and he keeps a slow curve in his back pocket to activate another velocity band if need be. I think sometimes we underrate guys like Harrington because he’s not pumping 99 from a skyscraper, but guys with command and aptitude for spin have their own kind of upside hidden in a 6’2” 185 lb frame, maybe more now than they ever have.
6. 2B Nick Yorke | 22 | MLB | 2024
Yorke was having a great season when Pittsburgh acquired him in the Quinn Priester trade then he turned it up another level like Spinal Tap, slashing .355/.431/.507 in 40 games with the team’s Triple-A Indianapolis affiliate. He’s not exactly small at 6’0” 200 lbs, but I’m a little worried about his power upside like I am with just about any right-handed hitter who has to battle with that home field cavern in left-center field.
7. Johnny Severino | 20 | A | 2028
In 84 games across two levels, Severino hit 16 home runs and stole 16 bases. I’m no math whizz, but that’ll work. He also slashed .271/.341/.528 with solid plate skills. Severino signed for $1.23 million with Milwaukee and came over in the Carlos Santana trade and is looking like a pretty big win for Pittsburgh at the moment.
8. 3B Jack Brannigan | 24 | A+ | 2026
The spirit is willing to roster Jack Brannigan, but the flesh is spongy, bruised from years of Pittsburgh disappointments. Like the famous Futurama captain with the same surname, Brannigan strikes out a lot, but when he does make contact, the ball stays hit. He slugged .490 with 18 home runs and 12 steals in 77 High-A games. A third-round pick in 2022, Brannigan can pick and fire the pill from the third and should stay there all the way up the chain. Can even kick over to shortstop in a pinch.
9. LHP Hunter Barco | 23 | AA | 2025
A funky lefty at 6’4” 210 lbs, Barco lost a lot of reps in college due to covid and a Tommy John surgery but still wound up a second round pick (44th overall) in 2022. As a result, his delivery is still a work in progress, but when he’s in rhythm and repeating, Barco can be dominant thanks to a difficult approach angle and a slider-change combo that pairs well with his fastball. He posted a 1.06 WHIP in 62 High-A innings this year and could be part of the MLB picture last in 2025.
10. SS Mitch Jebb | 22 | A+ | 2026
Tailor-made for the era, Jebb brings double-plus speed at 6’1” 185 lbs from the left side. He posted a .341 OBP and 104 wRC+ along with 43 steals in 113 High-A games, so he’ll have to hit a little more to earn his spot on the field, but I think he can do that so long as he keeps developing as a defender who bounces around between short, second, and probably outfield as a big leaguer.
Thanks for reading!
