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.

Braxton Ashcraft:

Braxton Ashcraft was selected 51st overall in the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft. This was the Pirates 2nd round pick of the year. Ashcraft along with Mike Burrows are the only two players left of the class with a chance of helping the big league club. To start the 2024 season Ashcraft ranked as the Pirates 7th best prospect. He has already been bumped up a spot to 6th due to the Jared Jones promotion.

When you look at the scouting score for Ashcraft you can immediately see the difference from what he is offering, and what those before him do. The big difference is that Ashcraft has two good pitches and two below average pitches. His fastball is rated 2nd highest in the system, only behind Paul Skenes. Even after his Tommy John surgery Ashcraft has a very projectable frame, he stands at 6’5″ and weights roughly 195 pounds. This has led to his fastball sitting in the 95 MPH range, and touching 98 at times. He couples that with his plus slider that sits in the upper 80’s which he uses as his out pitch. He has had some success with his curveball and is working to develop a changeup in order to have the necessary four pitch mix of a starting pitcher. It has been said that changeup will be a focus of this season as he continues to develop. He is 24 years old at season start and will be 25 just after the seasons end. So, this could end up being a big year for him and what he is able to produce on the field.

So far this season in AA Ashcraft has been able to continue to produce as he did last season. At the start of June, he has already complied roughly as many innings as he did last season. With roughly the same number of strikeouts, while limiting the number of walks allowed. However, his batting average against is higher as is his WHIP (though not by a lot). He had a rough start to the AA season, but really has come on late. If his last five starts in May showed anything, it was that he might be getting moved to AAA soon. Over those five starts Ashcraft pitched 26.1 innings allowing 3 earned runs, he struck out 34 and walked 6. This is a great sign for a pitcher looking to get to the major leagues.

So, when is it expected for Ashcraft to see the mound at PNC Park. Considering the state of the Indianapolis rotation it is very possible that within the next month Ashcraft could be sent to AAA. It is unlikely he would be promoted again this year after that. However, if he pitches well it could be possible he is brought up for a cup of coffee in September to give him a taste of the Majors. This is if he remains as a starter. Considering the state of the bullpen, and the starters already in the Majors, it is possible Ashcraft ends up a reliever. If he is left as a starter then he should be given an opportunity next spring to take a shot at the Pirate rotation. But with Skenes, Jones, Keller, Falter and Oviedo already claiming spots there it might be hard for him to make it. Though it should be noted the last two on that list are far from sure things. Ashcraft will get his opportunities more than likely starting at years end. If he can make the best of them, it would great for the Pirates to have that level of depth and options available to them. A worst case scenario would transition him to a relief role like they did to Carmen Mlodzinski, which worked out well in the end for both parties.