20240316, The Pittsburgh Pirates Minor Leagues face the Baltimore Orioles at Pirate City, Bradenton, Florida (Photos by Harrison Barden)
This is one in a series of stories breaking down PBN’s Top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected prep left-hander Anthony Solometo in the second round of the 2021 draft, the decision looked like a good one.
Solometo was one of a trio of prep players the Pirates took after drafting Henry Davis with the top pick in round one. The others were right-hander Bubba Chandler and outfielder Lonnie White Jr.
The strategy was easy enough to see. The Pirates cut a deal with Davis at the top of the draft to allocate more resources later on in the draft to high-ceiling players, but ones who would need over-slot deals to pry them away from their college commitments.
After signing with the Pirates for a bit less than $3 million, Solometo began his professional career in impressive fashion.
The left-hander’s first experience in professional baseball came in 2022, when he totaled 13 appearances/eight starts with the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League. Solometo went 5-1 with a 2.64 ERA and struck out 51 batters in 47.2 innings.
The following season, Solometo split time evenly between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. In 12 starts with the Grasshoppers to begin the season, Solometo posted a 2.30 ERA and recorded 68 strikeouts in 58.1 innings pitched.
He didn’t find the same immediate success in Altoona as he did in Bradenton and Greensboro, but Solometo finished with a fairly-respectable 4.35 ERA in 12 starts with the Curve.
Solometo’s success early in his career led to MLB Pipeline ranking him as the 84th-best prospect in the game entering the 2024 season. However, his status as a top prospect didn’t last long.
Solometo made 20 appearances/17 starts with the Curve in 2024 and went 1-7 with a 5.98 ERA. His strikeout totals dipped drastically (7.1 strikeouts per nine innings) while his walks skyrocketed (5.4 walks per nine innings).
A left shoulder injury cost Solometo essentially his entire 2025 season. The 22-year-old made just three starts — two with Altoona and one with Bradenton — and did not appear in a game after a rehab outing with the Marauders on June 18.
A once-promising start to his career now has more questions than answers. For starters, how will Solometo respond following a lost season due to an injury to his pitching arm? Secondly, will he prove that 2024 was just a one-off, or will his struggles continue at the same level two years later?
The Pirates are hoping that 2026 provides the answers they’re looking for on both accounts.
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