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Top 20 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects for Dynasty Leagues

Fantasy BaseballDynasty Fantasy BaseballMLB Prospects
Trevor Hooth
Author: Trevor Hooth
11 min.read
Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Rankings

The Pittsburgh Pirates had high hopes last year, but a 76-86 finish to the season was not what they had envisioned. Still, adding Jared Jones and Paul Skenes to their rotation with Oneil Cruz as a young leader in the lineup. There are other internal reasons for excitement, plus the additions of players like Tommy Pham, Adam Frazier, and Andrew Heaney via free agency and Spencer Horowitz via trade. In this article we’ll take a look at the Pirates prospects who could offer more reinforcements as the 2025 MLB season progresses.

This is a very pitching-heavy system for the Pirates. They should soon be adding one of the game’s top pitching prospects to their rotation, giving them a potentially scary trio at the top of their rotation. There is plenty of MLB-ready depth, as well as some high-ceiling players in the lower levels. It will be interesting to see how the second base position plays out over the next couple of seasons.

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Top 20 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects for Dynasty Leagues

1. RHP Bubba Chandler, Age: 22

With Paul Skenes and Jared Jones becoming rotation mainstays for Pittsburgh a year ago, Bubba Chandler hopes to follow suit this season. Chandler enters the year ranked 23rd on our updated top 600 prospect list. He pitched in both Double-A and Triple-A last season combining for an 11.13 K/9 with a 3.08 ERA in 119.2 innings. There is a chance the Pirates have Chandler jump into the rotation immediately in 2025, but even if he doesn’t he should debut at some point during the year. Whenever he does, he should be a player that fantasy baseball managers plug into their lineups immediately.

2. SS Konnor Griffin, Age: 18

The Pirates selected Konnor Griffin ninth overall as an extremely high-upside high school infielder. He’s fast with the promise of hitting ability and power. Even without debuting professionally, the potential Griffin has makes him a high-end FYPD option in drafts leading up to the 2025 season. If he reaches his lofty ceiling he will be a multi-stat contributor from an infield spot. His debut will be coming this season.

3. 2B Termarr Johnson, Age: 20

During his draft cycle, Termarr Johnson was one of the most exciting high school bats, leading to the Pirates selecting him fourth overall. During the 2024 season he spent much of the year in High-A, where he slashed .238/.372/.385 with 13 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Johnson spent a short stint in Double-A to end the season. He will likely head back there, but without some more success hitting the ball regularly he could see his stock drop. The fact that he showed power and plate discipline at his age is still reason to be in on Johnson’s upside.

4. RHP Thomas Harrington, Age: 23

With astonishingly good command and a bevy of pitches to work with, Thomas Harrison has put himself in a position to debut at some point during the 2025 season. He spent much of last season between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 2.61 ERA in 117.1 innings. While Harrington’s strikeout numbers don’t give him a huge fantasy ceiling, he does well working with a low-90s fastball to be a consistent contributor whenever he is given the chance in Pittsburgh.

5. RHP Braxton Ashcraft, Age: 25

After being selected out of high school in 2018, Braxton Ashcraft has slowly climbed the organizational ladder. Last season he threw 73 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 9.49 K/9 and a 2.84 ERA while also throwing for a 1.48 BB/9. Ashcraft has command and a mid-90s fastball with really good feel to spin breaking pitches. That being said, his ability to stay healthy has held him back. If he can throw enough innings his rotation ceiling is high. He will start the year as rotation depth since he’s already on the 40-man roster.

6. 2B Nick Yorke, Age: 22

The Red Sox shocked a lot of people when they made Nick Yorke a first-rounder in 2020. After a few years, he was traded to the Pirates in exchange for Quinn Priester. Yorke hit .216 with two home runs and two steals in his short 11-game debut last season. Prior to that, he hit .303 with 12 home runs and 21 stolen bases during his time in the minors. While he should be up for a big league job out of camp, there is plenty of competition that may force him to start the year back in Triple-A.

7. LHP Hunter Barco, Age: 24

Much like Ashcraft, Hunter Barco has good potential as a starter but has dealt with injuries throughout his career. He threw a career-high 66 innings in 2024, all but four of those innings came in High-A. Over the course of that time, Barco had plenty of success, posting an 11.32 K/9 with a 3.00 BB/9 and a 3.27 ERA. The good results are promising. Staying healthy in his third professional season, which will likely start back in Altoona, would do wonders for Barco’s fantasy value.

8. RHP Zander Mueth, Age: 19

There is a lot of potential for Zander Mueth, albeit it might take a while to manifest. The Pirates selected him out of high school on the strength of a fastball that has touched 97 MPH and a very good slider. During his debut season,n Mueth pitched as high as Single-A with a 9.61 K/9 in 74 innings. If he’s going to reach his ceiling, there will have to be improvement with his 6.08 BB/9. Still very young, there’s plenty of time for his exciting arsenal to turn into exciting results.

9. RHP Mike Burrows, Age: 25

In 2024 Mike Burrows threw a total of 54.2 innings after returning from Tommy John Surgery the year prior. Three of those innings were at the big league level where he he had a 2.70 ERA. Mostly, he was in Triple-A where he had a 10.75 K/9 and a 5.26 ERA. He did show a penchant for giving up the long ball. Burrows should have a chance to crack the Pirates rotation out of Spring Training. More than likely he will return to Triple-A and work as rotation, or even bullpen depth.

10. 3B/SS Jhonny Severino, Age: 20

When Pittsburgh sent Carlos Santana to Milwaukee in 2023, they received Jhonny Severino in return. His first full season with the Pirates ended with a .271/.341/.528 triple slash with 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases. While Severino was very successful on the Complex, his 28-game stint in Single-A proved to be more difficult. His walk percentage dropped nearly in half and his strikeout rate nearly doubled to 30.1 percent. There is a power and speed appeal here, but he will have to show better results in Bradenton.

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11. RHP Levi Sterling, Age: 18

Just 17 years old at the time of the 2024 MLB Draft, Levi Sterling showed enough promise to be the 37th overall pick by the Pirates. He has a fastball that topped out at 94 MPH with a good feel for his offspeed pitches and ability to throw strikes already. High school pitchers are far from safe bets for fantasy baseball managers, but if Sterling can add a few ticks to his already good foundation he will be a must-add in dynasty baseball leagues.

12. SS Jack Brannigan, Age: 23

Pittsburgh selected Jack Brannigan in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Notre Dame. He played mostly shortstop in 2024, but he also spend plenty of time at third base and a few games at second base. Brannigan hit .238 in the Midwest League with 18 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Though his average was low, he showed power and patience with an 11.7 percent walk rate. His 30 percent strikeout rate from 2023 fell a few points to 26.1 percent last season. There are questions about his hit tool, but there’s potential for power, speed, and on-base percentage.

13. SS Wyatt Sanford, Age: 19

At 47th overall in the most recent draft, Wyatt Sanford became the third of a very exciting trio of high school draftees. By all indications, Sanford is on track to be a better real-life than fantasy player. He’s a speedy defender with some questions surrounding his bat. With some development, he may turn into a contact-oriented infielder who steals some bases. There is little doubt he has a lot of talent, but his skill set makes him more of a risky play in FYPDs.

14. RHP Carlson Reed, Age: 22

Carlson Reed was a closer in college but has been a starter since being Pittsburgh’s fourth-round selection in 2023. The transition has been successful so far, throwing 108.2 innings last season between Single-A and High-A with a 1.99 ERA and a 29.7 percent strikeout rate. His slider is a good weapon that plays well off of his mid-90s fastball. Command might hinder his upside as a starter, but the early results of his new role have been very good.

15. SS Yordanny De Los Santos, Age: 20

After signing for $1.2 million in the 2022 International Free Agency Period, Yordanny De Los Santos spent the last couple of seasons bouncing back and forth between the Complex and Single-A.  The pattern is the same, considerable success on the Complex and equal struggles in Bradenton. Last season De Los Santos slashed .344/.407/.505 with five home runs and 24 stolen bases on the Complex before a promotion where he slashed .195/.300.264 with 10 stolen bases. While he has a lot of promise, he’ll have to figure out how to be successful in full-season ball in 2025.

16. 2B Mitch Jebb, Age: 22

There is little doubt that Mitch Jebb can contribute speed to fantasy baseball lineups. If the former Michigan State Spartan can hit enough, then his speed will make him an on-base weapon. In High-A Jebb hit .253 with a sub-20 percent strikeout rate and an 11.3 percent walk rate which helped him steal 43 bases. While he did hit six home runs, power is not likely to be part of his game. There is defensive versatility with Jebb, who spent plenty of time as a shortstop. That could mean he has multi-position eligibility with the potential to be a legitimate threat for steals.

17. LHP Anthony Solometo, Age: 22

Following a breakout 2023 season, Anthony Solometo was a popular name in dynasty leagues entering last season. He had trouble repeating the success last season. One of the biggest issues for Solometo was that his fastball velocity dropped into the high 80s. Beyond any stats, if the velocity returns then he becomes a good bet to bounce back.

18. RHP Alessandro Ercolani, Age: 20

A member of the 2021 IFA class for the Pirates, Alessandro Ercolani can top out at 96 MPH which helped him to put up good numbers in High-A last season. In 76.2 innings he had a 3.29 ERA with a 10.92 K/9 and a 2.93 BB/9. This was a significant step forward in terms of command. If he can hold those gains then his stock should continue to rise as he likely takes on Double-A competition in 2025.

19. C Omar Alfonzo, Age: 21

Playing a premium position, Omar Alfonzo has the potential to be a high OBP, power backstop for fantasy purposes. Between Single-A and High-A a year ago, he walked 13.5 percent of the time with 13 home runs while hitting .252. Alfonzo set a new career high in home runs while still walking at a very high rate.

20. SS Johan De Los Santos, Age: 16

Johan De Los Santos, the younger brother of Yordanny De Los Santos, doubled his older brother’s signing bonus with the Pirates giving him $2.4 million in January. The belief is that Johan will develop into a contact-oriented infielder with some speed. He’s not projected for a lot of power. Still, his signing bonus was the ninth highest given out during the cycle.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.

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