A handful of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects were named among baseball’s top 10 players at their positions by MLB Pipeline, including a pair at the same spot.
Ke’Bryan Hayes was ranked second among third base prospects, and Nick Gonzales (No. 2) and Ji-Hwan Bae (9) were ranked among the second basemen. Oneil Cruz was the No. 9 shortstop and Mason Martin the No. 10 first baseman.
Hayes was ranked one spot behind Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Hayes, Torkelson and Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers were rated the top hitters at third, thanks to Hayes’ .376 batting average and 92.8 mph average exit velocity in 24 major league games last September.
Hayes also was rated tops as a fielder (three minor league Gold Gloves) and runner among third basemen, with MLB Pipeline noting he “has gotten faster as he’s matured, improving his speed from average to plus.” He also was picked as having the highest floor, “a safe bet to make positive contributions as a nearly elite defender who can also impact games using his bat, power and speed,” and a favorite to win NL rookie of the year honors.
Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick last June, was drafted out of New Mexico State as a shortstop but projects as a second baseman. Rated as having the highest ceiling of the prospects at the position, MLB.com’s Jim Callis noted that Gonzales has “uncommon offensive upside for a second baseman and could hit .300 with 20-25 homers per season.”
Bae also has played both middle infield positions and won the batting title (.323) in the low Class A South Atlantic League. Bae stole 31 bases in 86 games in 2019, so it’s no surprise he was rated among the best runners at second base.
Cruz was rated as having the best arm at shortstop, although he’s also been projected as a potential first baseman or outfielder.
“While it’s still unclear if the 6-foot-7 Cruz will be able to stay at shortstop long-term, there’s no question he can make every throw from the position with a plus-plus arm,” wrote Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. “If he has to move, seeing him throw out runners from right field would be a lot of fun.”
Cruz also was rated as having the “most to prove,” given that he missed part of the 2019 season in Double-A with a foot fracture, struggled in the Arizona Fall League and was involved in an auto accident that killed three people in his native Dominican Republic last fall.
Martin, a 2017 17th-round pick who signed for $350,000, drew a “humblest beginning” tag among first basemen from MLB.com. He hit 35 homers with 129 RBIs across two levels of Class A in 2019 and spent last summer at the Pirates’ alternate training site in Altoona.
The Pirates didn’t have any prospects make the top-10 lists at pitcher, catcher or in the outfield.
A pair of WPIAL products also made the list. Blackhawk alum Brendan McKay of the Tampa Bay Rays was ranked the No. 10 left-handed pitcher, and Plum grad Alex Kirilloff of the Minnesota Twins was the No. 7 outfielder.
MLB Pipeline will unveil its 2021 top 100 prospect rankings Friday.
