Breaking Down Baseball America’s Top 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the hopes are very high going into 2026. With a combination of their elite pitching rotation, as well as an improved offense, fans have many reasons to be excited for the upcoming season. But they shouldn’t just be excited for 2026. They should be excited for years to come. Baseball America recently released its farm system rankings and listed the Pirates as the best farm system in all of Major League Baseball. Here is Draft Nation’s breakdown of each of their top 5 prospects:

(1) Konnor Griffin 

Konnor Griffin was selected 9th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school. He reclassified to become eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft, and moved up a class, which turned out to be fortuitous for the Pirates. If he had stayed in the 2025 draft, he likely would have gone first overall. 

Griffin is considered to be the number one prospect in baseball on almost every platform and is praised for his five-tool potential. He’s even drawn comparisons to Bobby Witt Jr. When he was drafted, he was considered to have all the raw ability in the world, but the only question mark was his ability to hit, as MLB Pipeline only gave him a 50 grade on their 20-80 scale, meaning it was considered to be average at the time. The raw power, speed, arm, and defensive ability were never in question. The only question defensively was whether he could handle shortstop long-term or if he would be a center fielder. During his first minor league season, he answered both of those questions, as he hit .333 with a 942 OPS across 3 different levels and won a Minor League Gold Glove at the shortstop position. The power and speed were also very much on display, as he hit 21 home runs and swiped 65 bases over the course of 122 total games. 

While many fans think he will be the Opening Day shortstop in 2026, starting in AAA before making his debut feels more realistic. He is only 19 and has just 98 plate appearances at the AA level. While Pirates fans might have to wait longer than they would hope to see him in Pittsburgh, he definitely should play his way to Pittsburgh at some point during the 2026 season. Whenever that is, he is expected to make a major impact.

(2) Bubba Chandler 

Chandler was selected in the 3rd round of the 2021 Draft out of high school as a two-way player and was committed to Clemson to play both football and baseball. He gave up hitting after the 2022 season to focus solely on pitching, and that decision paid off for him. He made his first top 100 prospects list during the 2023 season. 

Throughout his minor league career, he has had no problems racking up stats, as he has struck out 457 batters throughout 372 innings. In 2025, he started out blazing hot and even made it as high as number two on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list. As the season went along in AAA, his command began to fall off, leading to an inflated ERA. 

Chandler debuted last August and had a ton of success outside of a couple of outings. The most impressive part was the fact that his WHIP was under 1, which shows that not many hitters reached base vs him. His command improved significantly, only walking 4 hitters in 31.1 innings, compared to 53 in 100 AAA innings. His “stuff” has never been a question, as he has a 4 pitch mix led by an elite fastball that averaged 98.9, as well as an elite changeup and two plus breaking pitches. If he can continue to improve his command, there is no doubt that he will be the Pirates number two to Paul Skenes by season’s end.

(3) Seth Hernandez 

Hernandez was selected number six overall in the 2025 draft out of high school with a fastball that sits in the mid 90’s and has touched triple digits before. After watching him pitch, his fastball is not even his best pitch, as his changeup is the one that stands out the most. In most instances, a changeup is one of the toughest pitches to learn and is one that needs to be improved upon along the way. But in his case, having such a good changeup before even stepping foot on a professional mound is extremely impressive. 

MLB pipeline ranks all of his pitches as above average offerings and his command is considered to be above average, as well. It would not surprise Draft Nation that by the end of the 2026 campaign that Seth Hernandez's becomes best pitching prospect in all of baseball. 

(4) Edward Florentino

Florentino was an international signing from the 2024 class, who burst onto the scene in 2025 in a big way as an 18 year-old. When it comes to his hitting metrics, Florentino flourished during the 2025 season across rookie ball and high A. He was above average in almost all statistical categories among minor leaguers, as he ranked in the 93rd percentile in both whiff% and pulled fly ball%. This indicates his ability to not “swing and miss” very often, as well as do damage to the pull-side. He also posted well above-average barrel%, exit velocity, and walk rate, as well as many other categories. Florentino can play all three outfield positions, as well as first base, and projects to play a major role in the Pirate’s future. 

(5) Hunter Barco

Barco was selected in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Florida. He probably would have been a first-round pick if not for his needing Tommy John surgery midway through his junior year, but this allowed him to fall to the Pirates when he did. 

While Barco is not overpowering, his stuff plays up due to a funky arm slot. He dominated AA, as he did not give up a run throughout 25 innings. His numbers came back down to earth in AAA, pitching to a 3.79 ERA but still striking out over a batter per inning. Even though none of his offerings are considered to be elite like Hernandez and Chandler, his quirky arm angle, paired with an above-average slider and splitter, will allow him to keep Major League hitters off-balance. 

Barco has never eclipsed 100 innings pitched throughout his college and minor league career, however, which will likely prevent him from anchoring a spot on the Pirates roster during 2026. He projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation arm for the Pirates at some point in the near future. 

Conclusion

Overall, the Pirates have many players to be excited about for both 2026 and beyond. Within this top 5, there are players that will impact the Major League team in 2026 and some that will be up shortly after it. In many instances, fans will see prospect rankings and can take them with a grain of salt because of how many players that do not pan out. But if these players five prospects stay healthy and continue on the pace they are on, Draft Nation believes that they all can be major contributors to the Pittsburgh Pirates soon.