The Pittsburgh Pirates have a solid young core at the big-league level, but their entire franchise revolves around one man: starting pitcher Paul Skenes.
The big righty was drafted out of LSU a few seasons ago and has dominated ever since. He was quickly fast tracked through the Minor Leagues, and once he arrived in Pittsburgh, the dominance didn't stop. In fact, it might have gotten even more dominant.
Across 33 big-league starts, Skenes has tossed nearly 200 innings and holds a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He's striking out over 10 hitters per nine innings while walking around two hitters per nine innings.
But Skenes isn't the only talented young player in the Pirates' organization. In fact, contrary to the (justified!) narrative swirling around the team right now, the Pirates young core is quite loaded in the Minor Leagues.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
The Pirates' young core is more than just Paul Skenes
The first player who comes to mind as a piece of the Pirates' young core is obviously Skenes. But after Skenes, the first name many fans would note is righty Jared Jones. Jones hasn't pitched this season as he deals with an elbow injury; still, he's a Pirates product who's set to be a major piece of the team's future.
Oneil Cruz is another piece of the puzzle. He's taken great strides since being moved to the outfield on defense. This season, he's slashing .223/.349/.432 with 16 stolen bases. His combination of power and speed is one of the best in the league.
The team also has a trio of pitching prospects in the Minors who all seem like excellent arms. Thomas Harrington came up to the big leagues this season and made one start and one appearance out of the bullpen before being sent down. The righty has an excellent arsenal and a bright future in the big leagues — and he's not even the best of the three.
Bubba Chandler is the team's best prospect, and he's dominating in Triple-A this season. Chandler has thrown nearly 40 innings with an ERA of 2.17. He has huge potential and could be in the big leagues in the near future.
Hunter Barco is the third pitcher ranked in the Pirates' top five prospects. He was incredible at Double-A, throwing 25.2 shutout innings before being elevated to Triple-A. If he continues to dominate, he could be in the big leagues this season, too.
All in all, the Pirates have a lot more than just Skenes. This young core is quickly coming together in Pittsburgh.