North Shore Nine

Welcome to the weekly Scouting Prospects; The Top 30 series. Each week we will take a look at a different one of the Pirates Top 30 prospects, with a few bonus “double drop” weeks. The format of these articles will highlight and discuss the following.

• Scouting Score
• Performance
• Expectations
• Projected Debut
  
  When it comes to scouting grades, the scale used is 20-80. So, a 20-30 grade would be considered well below average. A 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average (Also called Plus) and 70-80 is well above average (or Plus Plus). For prospects the overall grade is where scouts expect the player to perform once in the majors. For example, a 65 grade would be an All-Star caliber standout player, whereas a 50 would be an everyday player and a 40 would be a bench player.

Anthony Solometo:

Anthony Solometo was selected 37th overall in the 2021 MLB draft. The Pirates gave him a large over slot bonus to lure him from his commitment to UNC. This was of course due in part to the Pirates taking Henry Davis at 1:1. Moving into the 2024 season he was ranked as the 4th best Pittsburgh Pirates prospect and 74th nationally. His scouting score shows why he is regarded so highly both within and outside the organization.

So two pitches that are almost plus pitches in the fastball and slider, and an average changeup. The interesting thing is that his control is rated a whole grade above Jared Jones, and he is rated at the same overall. What stands out the most to scouts for Solometo is how he throws. His arm slot is usually compared to Madison Bumgarner and his leg kick is compared to MacKenzie Gore. Standing at 6’5″ his fastball sits in the low 90’s and can reach up to 95 MPH. His slider sits ‘comfortably’ in the mid 80’s with a changeup that also sits around 84 MPH. Scouts all point to the fact over the last year Solometo has improved his command and his control. All of this for a player who will be 21 years old for all of the 2024 season. That all being said, how has his performance been so far.

So far 2024 has not been the best that we have seen out of Anothony Solometo. In five starts he has pitched just 16 innings giving up 15 hits, walking 11 and only striking out 14 batters. That all being said minus the K:BB ratio these numbers are similar to what he did in his 12 starts in AA in 2023. Meaning there is nothing to be concerned about as he continues to progress in his development. He was dominant in 2023 in High A Greensboro so it is just a matter of time for him to settle in at AA and put up similar numbers. Further good news is that his first start in May was very promising going three innings without giving up a run and striking out five. Which brings us to when to expect for him to make his MLB debut with the Pirates.

Some have marked that ETA as 2024, this seems to be a bit unlikely. If he is able to have a similar year that he did last year the reasonable assumption is that he will make it to AAA this year. That being the case, it is unlikely considering who is already at AAA that Solometo will move ahead of them to see a September call-up. The more logically expectation for an MLB debut would be at some point in 2025. If that happens Pirates fans could see a rotation with 4 of their current Top 5 prospects in it within the next two year. Solometo would join Jared Jones, Paul Skenes and our next prospect Bubba Chandler.