MLB.com just released their midseason rankings of every squad’s farm system, updating their preseason rankings on who they thought had the best minor league system. The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed in pretty consistently over the past couple of seasons, and opened up the year ranked at 14. Since the draft and the trade deadline took place, they now find themselves ranked as the ninth-best farm system in baseball.
In the draft, the Pirates added five players to their organization top 30 overall, with pitcher Seth Hernandez debuting at the number three spot for the organization. His fellow draftees include Levi Sterling (12), Darrell Morel (16), Murf Gray (23), and Gustavo Melendez (26). With the draft, the Pirates definitely landed some highly-rated prospects with huge upside potential and long-term Major League value. At the trade deadline, the Pirates also added several prospects to their top 30, with two in their top 10 (Rafael Flores and Edward Florentino).
Inside the top 100, Pittsburgh lays claim to four prospects. Konnor Griffin has been on an absolute tear in his first season in professional baseball, slashing .329/.411/.524 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs. Given his strong output, he has been named the top prospect in all of baseball, and many are saying he could see action in Pittsburgh as early as 2026. Pitcher Bubba Chandler has been at the forefront of some recent conversations given his status in the Minor Leagues, and although he has had some inconsistent stretches this season, he is still ranked as the number seven prospect in baseball.
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The aforementioned rookie Hernandez is ranked as the number 27 overall prospect in baseball and is the third-highest rookie prospect from this year’s draft class/international signing period. Pitcher Hunter Barco is the fourth and final Pittsburgh prospect in the top 100, coming in at number 87.
The Pirates join the Seattle Mariners as the only two clubs to have three prospects ranked in the top 100, and Pittsburgh is the only organization to have two pitchers ranked that highly.