Baseball is almost back! The Pittsburgh Pirates will play their first Spring Training game against the Baltimore Orioles on February 21. They already announced their starters for the first three Spring Training games. While familiar names in Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft will start the second and third games of the pre-season, top prospect Wilber Dotel will get the nod for the first game. The right-hander is an underrated hurler in the Pirates’ system, and he could make a legitimate impact at the Major League level in 2026.

A Breakout Campaign for Dotel

Dotel had a promising 2025 season at Double-A Altoona. He pitched to the tune of a 4.15 ERA with a 3.89 FIP and 1.23 WHIP over 125.2 innings. He struck out just under a quarter of opponents, clocking in with a 24.5% K%. The biggest improvement Dotel made was in his ability to locate. In 2024, he walked 11% of opponents at High-A. However, in 2025, he cut that down to just 8%. Dotel also cut his HR/9 down from 1.78 to 1.00 between the last two seasons.

From Soft-Tosser to Flamethrower

Dotel can thank his massive uptick in velocity over the last two years for his better production. Between 2023 and 2024, Dotel’s fastball averaged 92.7 MPH, up to 95.8 MPH. Last year, he topped out at 100.5 MPH. Only 140 minor league pitchers hit 100+ MPH in 2025. Unsurprisingly, his fastball is seen as his best pitch. Baseball America gave it a 60-grade.

Dotel has worked hard to improve his overall pitch arsenal. According to BA, he separates his four-seam fastball from his two-seam variant better than before. Dotel also replaced his change-up with a splitter, which appears to be a better offering. His upper-80s slider is a second pitch that has 60-grade potential. His improved command is the most promising part of his game. Dotel never had a walk rate under 11% before 2025. Despite having advanced stuff, control problems are where most of his problems stemmed from. Now, BA sees his control as a 55-grade, which is above-average.

Dotel’s Debut Is on the Horizon

Given how well Dotel pitched at Double-A this year, it’s reasonable to suggest his debut could happen this very season, and for many reasons. First, 2026 will be his age-23 campaign. Another reason is he’ll definitely open the year at Triple-A Indianapolis, assuming he doesn’t earn a roster spot out of camp. However, the most significant reason may be that Dotel was added to the Pirates’ 40-man roster this offseason. The right-hander was eligible for the Rule 5 draft had he not been added. Baseball America ranks him as the Pirates’ tenth-best prospect. The Pirates have done well in developing their young pitchers. Dotel could be yet another hurler the Pirates make into a quality Major League Baseball arm.

Confidence in Dotel Is a Good Sign of Things To Come

The Pirates giving Dotel the ball for the first game of Spring Training is an interesting choice. They’re not giving the ball to Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, or Keller. They’re not even handing the rock to Carmen Mlodzinski, Hunter Barco, or Thomas Harrington, who are competing for a rotation spot. The team is handing the ball to Dotel. That could be a sign of their confidence in him and, hopefully, leads to his debut early in 2026. He has the potential to make a massive impact on the Pirates in 2026.

 

Main Photo Credit: Sarasota Herald-Tribune