A Peek into the Pittsburgh Pirates' System

Earlier this month, Draft Nation evaluated three lower-level hitters in the Pirates’ system who offer some upside. This time, the spotlight fell on three pitchers, all righties: Jun-Seok Shim, Alessandro Ercolani and Brandan Bidois. Readers will find a deeper dive on each of these prospects scattered through the Draft Nation 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Guide, available on Amazon now. 

Draft Nation ranked Shim 15th in the Pirates’ system, Ercolani 32nd and Bidois 73rd. The three also represent a diverse international mix, with Shim hailing from South Korea, Ercolani from San (no, not “Dan”) Marino, and Bidois from Australia.

Jun-Seok Shim 

Shim was a high-profile signing at age 18, picking up a $750,000 bonus that struck some observers as a bargain for the Pirates. He was generally ranked as one of the top ten available international prospects and close to the top pitcher in the class. It didn’t hurt that he’d reached triple digit velocity in high school.

Shim throws the standard four pitches, with a fastball that sits at 95-98 mph obviously attracting the most attention. His curve is his second-best pitch, as he features a spin rate over 3000 rpm. He’s working to advance his change, which is typical for pitchers his age. At 6’4”, Shim produces the velocity without a great deal of effort. He’s polished enough now that he’s able to move the fastball around the plate, although his command of his secondary stuff needs to improve.

The biggest concern with Shim may be durability. He missed much of his scholastic 2021 season with an elbow injury. After he signed, the Pirates were reportedly hoping to get him to Bradenton at some point, but it didn’t happen. He opened in the Florida Complex League, and, in his second pro game, he left with a pectoral muscle injury. He pitched only twice more after that, totaling just eight innings, but it was a tantalizing look. In eight innings, he fanned 13 and allowed just three hits and three walks.

The Pirates’ system has attracted attention largely due to the high-end pitchers in the upper minors: Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones and Anthony Solometo. Of their lower-level pitchers, Shim has the best chance to join that group. One big question mark will be how much mound time he’s able to see in 2024.

Photo: Wilbur Miller

Alessandro Ercolani

It’d be hard to find a background much more unusual than Ercolani’s. San Marino is a tiny state surrounded by Italy, the world’s fifth-smallest country. The population is a little over 30,000. He played in international ball for the Italian under-15 national team and signed with the Pirates in March 2021, a little before he turned 17, for an unknown, but probably not large, bonus.

The Pirates have pushed Ercolani more than you’d expect for a guy who doesn’t exactly hail from a baseball hotbed. Typically a 17-year-old international signee would go to the Dominican Summer League, but the Pirates sent Ercolani to the Florida Complex League. He spent two seasons there and then went to Bradenton for 2023, turning 19 a little after the season started. Despite his age and his lack of experience above the lowest level of full-season ball, the Pirates sent Ercolani to the Arizona Fall League in 2023.

So far, Ercolani’s career has been characterized by inconsistency, but also by gradual progress. In 2021, he pitched in relief and had a 5.40 ERA. When he returned to the FCL in 2022, he pitched mainly as a starter and improved across the board. Opponents batted .278 against him in 2021, but only .185 in 2022. In 2023, pitching as a starter, Ercolani got hit around quite a bit in the early going and had control problems. Starting in June, though, he got on a strong run, putting up a 2.53 ERA over seven starts. After a couple of shaky late-July outings, Ercolani went on the injured list for the rest of the season, although as mentioned, he pitched in the AFL in the fall.

Ercolani’s pitches can be inconsistent as well. His fastball sits in the 94-95 mph range, but at times, it’ll come in at 97-98, while at others the velocity will drop into the low-90s or even lower. He throws a cutter that was rated in the AFL as a very strong pitch. He also throws a slider that’s less successful, and he hasn’t used a change much. Considering his age and background, though, he’s come a long way in a short period of time, and he’s had some very strong stretches that bode well if he can make progress with his command and his secondary stuff.

 Photo: Wilbur Miller

Brandan Bidois

Bidois was a fairly notable signing back in September 2019, but his career has taken a long time to get underway. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 season, then after pitching briefly in the FCL in 2021, he went on the injured list. He ultimately had Tommy John surgery, which cost him all of 2022. He finally surfaced in 2023, when the Pirates sent him to Bradenton, which was an ambitious assignment given the lack of pro experience and all the missed time. He pitched in relief, often servingas closer.

Coming back from the surgery, Bidois showed much better velocity than he had when the Pirates signed him, sitting at 94-96 mph, reaching 99. His fastball has a lot of movement and gets swings and misses. He also showed a high-spin curve that missed bats as well. Altogether, he fanned 42 in just 22.2 IP. Not surprisingly, post-surgery, control was an issue, as he walked 15, but he allowed only 14 hits.

With all the missed time, Bidois doesn’t have much track record and he’s nearly 23. The ability to miss bats stands out, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what he can do as he gets further into a more normal routine.