Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Check In: The Indianapolis Indians

Major League Baseball is not the only baseball that has arrived in 2024. Minor league baseball has kicked off its campaign and Draft Nation will take a look at each affiliate in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Today, the Indianapolis Indians are on deck, the Pirates AA team that plays as part of the International League. More information on each of these prospects can be found in the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Guide.

Pitchers

Cam Alldred- L/L- 24th round pick (2018)

Mike Burrows- R/R- 11th round pick (2018)   #8 prospect

Fineas Del Bonta-Smith- R/R 22nd round pick (2019)

Brady Feigl- R/L- FA signing (2024)

J.C. Flowers- R/R- 4th round pick (2019)

Geronimo Franzua- L/L- FA signing (2010)

Ben Heller- R/R- 22nd round pick (2013)

Jose Hernandez- L/L- FA signing (2016)

Brent Honeywell- R/R- CB-B (72nd overall- 2014)

Wei-Chieh Huang- R/R- FA signing (2014)

Eric Lauer- R/L- 1st round pick (25th overall-2016)

Brennan Malone- R/R- Round 1C (33rd overall-2019)

Kade McClure- R/R- 6th round pick (2017)

Cristofer Melendez- R/R- FA signing (2014)

Kyle Nicolas- R/R- CB-B (61st overall- 2020)   #21 prospect

Wily Peralta- R/R- FA signing (2006)

Michael Plassmeyer- L/L- 4th round pick (2018)

Quinn Priester- R/R- 1st round pick (18th overall- 2019)  #6 prospect

Connor Sadzeck- R/R- 11th round pick (2011)

Aaron Shortridge- R/R- 4th round pick (2018)

Paul Skenes- R/R- 1st round pick (1st overall- 2023)   #1 prospect

Catchers

Carter Binns- R/R- 11th round pick (2019)

Grant Koch- R/R- 5th round pick (2018)

Eli Wilson- R/R- 16th round (2019)

Infielders

SS- Sergio Alcantara- B/R- FA signing (2012)

2B- Nick Gonzales- R/R- 1st round pick (7th overall-2020)   #7 prospect

1B- Jake Lamb- L/R- 6th round pick (2012)

1B/3B- Malcolm Nunez- R/R- FA signing (2018)  #30 prospect

SS- Liover Peguero- R/R- FA signing (2017)

Outfielders

Gilberto Celestino- R/L- FA signing (2015)

Matt Gorski- R/R- 2nd round pick (2019)   #27 prospect

Billy McKinney- L/L- 1st round pick (24th overall-2013)

Joshua Palacios- L/R- 4th round pick (2016)

Joe Perez- R/R- 2nd round pick (2017)

Dustin Peterson- R/R- 2nd round pick (2013)

Canaan Smith-Njigba- L/R- 4th round pick (2017)

What to Look For

The Indianapolis Indians have the one player that everyone in baseball will be watching—2023's first overall pick, pitcher Paul Skenes. The term “generational talent” gets thrown around loosely at times, but in his case Skenes is a “once in a lifetime” type pitcher. Skenes hits 100 mph consistently and has movement on all his pitches that rarely seen. Each of his starts will be placed "under the magnifying glass" until the Pirates call him up to pitch in the big leagues. 

The Indians also have rising prospect and pitcher Quinn Priester. Priester was a 1st round pick in 2019 and got called up last season for the Pirates during the back half of the campaign for spot duty. He struggled at times and is in need of some perfecting down at AAA, but with some early success could get another big league promotion. Pitcher Kyle Nicolas is another top-50 prospect for the Bucs who tends to get overlooked. He got a brief call-up in 2023 and appears to be a future middle reliever who can give multiple innings in a pinch. 

The Indians are loaded with hitters who have gotten some time in the big leagues and will be a big part of the Pirates in 2024. Liover Peguero showed some pop last year in Pittsburgh, hitting .237 with 7 homers in 198 at bats. Nick Gonzales is a former first round pick who has struggled in his time in the big league. Last season he hit .209 and had some trouble making adjustments. He struck out 36 times in only 115 at bats. Gonzales could be a prospect who gets moved, especially if the Pirates are happy with Jared Triolo and Liover Peguero at the same position. And of course the elephant in the room is rising star Termarr Johnson, which may make moving some of these talented players to fill other holes an eventuality. 

The Indians have a nice mix of prospects and veterans in 2024. Veterans like Eric Lauer, Jake Lamb, and Billy McKinney give the Pirates some much needed depth and should help the squad in case of injuries. The overarching story however will be the development of Skenes and when he appears in the Majors.