Welcome back to our series highlighting prospects in the Pirates minor league system. We aim to give you an update on the best performing players and the guys who fans should be most excited about.
Seth Hernandez is the Best Pitching Prospect in Baseball
Before Seth Hernandez pitched Friday night, MLB Pipeline had moved him to the 3rd best prospect in baseball and the number one pitching prospect on their list. He was also promoted to High-A Greensboro and made his debut there. Hernandez did not disappoint, as he made A+ ball look too easy over 5 innings of work. Generating 18 whiffs over a mere 70 pitches is a sign that he is probably too good for this level too. Despite being only 19 years old, he looks like a grown man pitching to 5-year-olds in tee-ball. If the Pirates are hanging around in a wild card chase by August and September, he legitimately might have a case to debut before spending a full season in professional baseball and before he can buy himself a beer. We have only seen 7 starts from Hernandez, but his 0.82 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 33 innings show that the Pirates have a legitimate star on their hands. If I were Ben Cherington, I would try and give him the Cooper Pratt extension (extending a player before he hits AAA) and get him locked down as a Pirate for nearly a decade.
Darell Morel Earns Promotion to A Ball
Morel was an international prospect the Pirates managed to poach from the Dodgers during the 2025 signing period, and it is looking like it is paying off massive dividends already. The 18-year-old kid has been lighting the CPX League on fire in the first 8 games of the season, showing an impressive level of power and plate discipline for someone so young. He is slashing .385/.543/.855 to accompany a wRC+ of 238. Obviously we are talking about small sample sizes here, but it’s clear that Morel possesses elite tools that can blossom into a top prospect. He is walking more than he strikes out, at a 22% walk rate. He built off a very promising 2025 campaign in the DSL, where he posted a 135 wRC+, and the Pirates have been so impressed with how he has come along that he has earned a promotion to Bradenton after a week of play. Hopefully we get some video on this guy as he comes to Bradenton because he could be special.
Tony Blano: the Most Fun Prospect in the System
Will Tony Blanco ever become a major league player? My guess would be most likely no as he struggled mightily to put together consistent hitting performances. He ended his 2025 campaign with a 135 wRC+, but that carries a big caveat as he struck out 35% of the time. In 2026 he has done an admirable job bringing that rate down to 28% as he deals with being promoted to A+ Ball in Greensboro. His ISO sits at a .221 as he has hit 6 home runs and most of those are nukes that get any baseball fan excited. Fangraphs has him as an 80 raw power prospect and when you watch his highlights it is easy to see why.
However, despite these improvements and home runs, he is sitting with a wRC+ of 81 and an OPS of .736. The improvements on the metric side are things to hang his hat on, and hopefully starts paying dividends as he adjusts to this new level of baseball. One thing to keep an eye on is if he can raise his walk rates to the 14% he had in Bradenton, as that will go a long way in keeping him viable as a three true outcomes player.
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