North Shore Nine

Welcome to the weekly Scouting Prospects; Undiscovered Treasure series. Each week we will take a look at a different one of the Pirates prospects who fall outside of the Top 30. The format of these articles will highlight and discuss how the player came to the Pirates, how he has been playing and what to expect from them moving forward.

Alessandro Ercolani:
Ercolani was signed by the Pirates as an International Free Agent in 2021. He currently stands at 6′ 2″ and weights roughly 185 pounds. He has made a lot of improvement with his velocity in the three years since he signed. When he signed his fastball topped out in the low 90’s, however it has been reported he has gotten it into the upper 90’s as he has developed. He has a good slider which works well with his fastball as his primary secondary pitch. As with many young pitchers if he wants to stay as a starter, he will need to develop a third and potentially a fourth pitch to add to the mix to keep the opposing hitter off balance the second and third time through the lineup. Like many of the players the Pirates sign he has a projectable frame and throws heat. So how has he been doing over his first few years of minor league experience?
Ercolani was 19 to start the season this year in Greensboro, though he did turn 20 at the end of the first month of the season. Things have gone relatively well for him this year in Greensboro. Ercolani was increased his K/9 from 9.14 last year to 10.80 this year as well as decreased his BB/9 from 4.29 to 4.05. These are both good signs for a player that has struggled with his control over his young career. While his HR/9 went from 1.11 to 1.62 that could be a bit expected as Greensboro is known as a power hitters park. Therefore, a small bump in that stat line is not something to overly fret over. He has also decreased his BABIP from .320 to a .286 and his xFIP from 4.47 to a 3.83. Considering the level of talent differential even from A to A+ that is a good sign for him. Furthermore, if you remove the one start where he went 2.1 innings and gave up 9 runs his stats would be far more impressive. Ercolani is another one that will be Rule 5 eligible at the end of next season, which brings into the conversation where he could be then.
It is unlikely that Ercolani goes to AA Altoona this year based on age and how he has pitched this year. However, it if very likely that he could start there next year if he continues with his improvements. Much like Dotel, this would give the Pirates a good look at him before having to start deciding things about his future. With two good pitches a bullpen position might be a nice place for him and an easier way to get into the show. But with the progress he has been showing he might move out of the undiscovered treasure section soon, and into the top prospects category.