These 2 Pirates Prospects Are Closer Than You Think

There's no major league action going on at the moment, so let's shift our focus to the minor leagues and prospects.

Hey, I'm in Arizona after all, for the fall league, and it's not totally my fault that there is a rain out on Wednesday, right?

Well, good news for me, the Pirates are announcing their Young Bucks yearly award winners right now.

And they announced four of them on Wednesday, and I look at two in particular, and I'm like, yeah, they could be part of this 2027 team, or maybe 2028 and beyond.

Good morning, and welcome to OffBeat here on North Shore Nine, presented by FanDuel.

My name is Alex Stumpf, and this is a daily look at your Pittsburgh Pirates.

I'm in favor of these year-end awards that the Pirates do.

Give some guys some flowers, give them an opportunity to have a little moment in the sun.

And some of them are guys that have had interesting journeys.

Your Donnie Delosantos is the Omar Moreno Base Runner of the Year.

Someone who I thought a couple years ago could have been a breakout prospect.

There's definitely talent there.

Saw, I think, a little more this year.

It's still a long way to go for him to reach his potential to be on, like, the majorly great are in general, but you see the upside still.

It's a good way to just maybe give him a push.

Be like, hey, you're still in the picture.

Jesus Castillo, the Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year.

Again, versatile player, could make an impact a couple different ways.

But the two I want to focus on here, in particular, and we'll talk about a few more after, but the two I really want to focus on today are Murf Gray, the Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year, and Derek Diamond, the Kent DeColvi Reliever of the Year.

And we're going to start with Gray, who has made an appearance on this program.

Back in late August, I went out to Altoona, sat down in the stands with him, and we just talked hitting.

And we talked his development.

And I thought he would be the perfect type of player to do that type of interview style with him for a couple reasons.

Very paramount among them is I am high on him as a player.

I think he has the potential to be a good player.

And while we don't know who the Pirates Player of the Year, Minor League Prospect of the Year is, and who their Minor League Pitching Prospect of the Year are, if I had to hazard a guess, or if I had a vote, I think it would be Murf Gray and Seth Hernandez.

That's not insider info. That would be if I had a vote.

Because Murf Gray showed a lot this year.

He showed pop. He showed an ability to draw walks, find ways to get on base.

He did it across a couple different levels.

He was able to keep hitting after a promotion to AA Altoona, which, yeah, were Eastern League balls juiced, maybe.

But it's definitely a different, more difficult hitting environment than Greensboro.

And whenever he's able to build on the traits that he showed in Greensboro, it's not just being able to run into homers.

It's being able to control the strike zone, find ways to get on base.

It was a really encouraging year.

One of those years that I think he has to be on the 2027 radar.

Now, I can't misconstrue it.

I know whenever you see one of your top prospects, the top 100 prospect, who did really well in AA, and he just so happens to play third base, which is a position the Pirates need to supplement this winter,

I'm not suggesting just throw him at third base.

He is not the opening day third baseman.

I can't...

He needs a little more time to cook.

I really like his game.

I really like how he develops, but...

And obviously, the organization does too.

They wouldn't have awarded him the slugger of the year if they didn't.

But...

I look at Esmerlin Valdez as a similar comp.

Someone who rose a couple levels in the Pirates system in 2025.

Who showed some serious power.

Who showed improvement of being able to control the zone, find ways to get on base, walk.

But he...

And they selected him to the roster because they didn't want to lose him to the row five draft.

He absolutely would have been taken.

But going into the year, where was he on that outfield death chart?

Like, sixth?

Seventh?

If Jake Mangum was the fourth outfielder, and Justin San Garcia was fifth, like, then it was probably Valdez.

He was in a spot that, like, yeah, he was probably...

There was a decent chance that he was going to get a call to the majors at some point.

But they weren't putting too many eggs in that basket.

And you know what?

Whenever he did get that opportunity, he made the most of it.

And he played his way into staying on the roster, becoming a regular, looking like a part of this 2027 club.

And that's just gravy.

That was a big bonus.

That was a big win for the farm system, for the organization in general.

I think not putting too much pressure on him helped.

That's what I view Murf Gray right now.

They don't have to add him to the 40-man roster right now.

I would still look for an infielder in the event that Brandon Lowe does leave in free agency.

If he gets an opportunity at some point next year, I wouldn't be surprised if he could handle it.

But I'm treating this as like this would be a bonus if he does put things together.

I think he could be the third baseman of the future, but 2027 is a really important year and I can't hand the job over to someone who hasn't had

a AAA at bat yet, even if he had a really great year between Greensboro and Altoona.

Think highly of him, but not quite ready yet.

But still, I wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot at some point next year.

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The other player who I think is on that 2026, 2027 excuse me projection is Derek Diamond who was the Kent DeCovey reliever of the year.

Someone who elevated himself to Indianapolis.

Pitched 43 innings up there, had a 314 ERA.

Really showed a lot.

I think there is a fastball that really plays here.

I think there is an approach.

Again organization obviously thinks highly of him too.

And whenever I look at this bullpen, we've talked about how I think it's a stronger unit than it was at certain points last year, probably even going

into last year.

But there's still depth questions.

And depth played a real issue last year.

Whenever the Brandon Bidois struggled and the Ryan Harbins got hurt and all of a sudden you have Wilbur Doteau pitching the eighth inning in late July in Cincinnati.

That was an issue.

They didn't really have a lot of guys that they could go to who were in that up-down situation.

and I think that could be Derek Diamond in 2027.

I think his stuff could play at the Major League level and see what happens.

He's been on my radar for a little bit.

My first time I ever talked to him was in 2023.

Our phone call got delayed a little bit because he was cutting his teammate's hair.

He was a barber.

He picked it up again during the pandemic.

And just that conversation even before we talked anything baseball I feel like I know this guy in the drive and yeah he'll do

anything.

He'll do anything for a teammate.

He'll do whatever to get by and then whenever we started actually talking pitching it's like yeah I see that same approach here.

Derek Diamond has referred to himself more he's always thought of himself as a starting pitcher.

And candidly I want my pitchers my prospects to all think of themselves as starting pitchers unless you were like really shutting people down in AAA

as a closer or something like yeah you shouldn't think you could go multiple innings.

You should think that you could take the ball once every five days.

Jim Rosati asked him about that in a Zoom call on Wednesday and Derek Diamond answered quote I think that I

could certainly be a starting pitcher.

I think that I could certainly be a long relief bullpen arm and I think I could certainly be a closer.

So again I'm not too concerned with that right now.

I'm not as concerned with labels as I am with like I said getting better at pitching.

I had so much fun this year.

Winning this award is a huge honor and I have to chuckle a little bit.

I really appreciate the Pirates for recognizing me.

I have a relationship with the Pirates and I love them and they've been really good to me and to win this award four years into my minor league career it means a lot that they recognize the adjustments I made.

But I'm really committed to the most fun part about this year was getting better, was improving.

That's what I'm really looking forward to.

I really don't care about what label they put on me.

I care when they throw me out there.

I just want to do it again.

I want to strike out more guys.

End quote.

Ten out of ten quote.

That's the approach.

Have that aspiration but also know you are getting better and now there is tangible proof.

And you're close to the major leagues.

You're close to realizing that boyhood dream.

He's got the stuff to do it guys.

So I think he is someone who in 2027 maybe isn't going to be on the opening day rotation or bullpen.

Maybe doesn't start on the 40 man roster depending on what the pirates do this winter and the row five draft and everything like that but like yeah.

I see someone who can strike out hitters.

Someone who maybe is going to be a bigger part of that 2028 bullpen.

Because they need to produce a couple of these type of guys.

Like Brandon Bidwa at least was able to be traded for Lake Bacar.

But they need to be able to produce relievers the same way they produce starting pitchers.

I think he could be one of those guys.

These end of the year awards are I think a net good.

Give the players their flowers.

Recognize their hard work.

But it also is that reminder that these are still minor league awards.

You want to be in the big leagues.

And whenever you talk prospects it's like okay how close they are.

How close are they to actually making an impact in Pittsburgh?

I think in these cases it's not terribly far away.

Thank you so much for listening to OffBeat here on North Shore Nine presented by FanDuel.

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Thank you so much for listening.

We will talk again tomorrow.

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