MLB Pipeline ranks Pirates seventh-best farm system in baseball

This week, MLB Pipeline concludes its updated prospect rankings throughout baseball.

The final countdown displayed a ranking of every organization’s farm system and how they compete against the 29 other clubs.

On Thursday, the Pirates were announced as the seventh-best system according to the site, falling three spots from fourth during the 2021 midseason rank. Pittsburgh is sandwiched between Kansas City (8th) and Miami (6th) with the top five systems being revealed on Friday.

The ranking comes as a bit of a surprise, especially after the Bucs’ system was ranked third by Baseball America earlier this year.

Nick Gonzales (No. 20), Henry Davis (No. 24), Oneil Cruz (No. 26), Quinn Priester (No. 54), Roansy Contreras (No. 71), and Liover Peguero (No. 79) mark six Pirates in the overall Top 100. Half were acquired via the draft (Gonzales, Davis, and Priester), while the other half through trades (Cruz, Contreras, and Peguero).

William Boor, Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, and Nick Trujillo contributed to the updated rankings. In the article, the authors alluded to a promising group of young players who can help the Pirates Raise the Jolly Roger once again.

“The Pirates have been waiting for difference-making help from the farm for long enough that Pittsburgh fans can be forgiven for greeting sunny forecasts with skepticism, but the bottom line is the organization has both depth and elite-level talent in development. With recent first-rounders Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Quinn Priester playing in the same system as trade acquisitions such as Oneil Cruz, Roansy Contreras, Liover Peguero and Endy Rodriguez, there’s reason to have faith that the Jolly Roger is rising.”

Top-heavy due to the talent and potential of the six big names, the Pirates have depth pieces that may shine with more seasoning and development. A full season for Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler, Lonnie White Jr., and Braylon Bishop will showcase what the Bucs have on their hands after an impressive and attention-grabbing 2021 draft class.

Players like Mike Burrows, Travis Swaggerty, and Carmen Mlodzinski are names to watch if able to stay on the field and avoid health setbacks.

The Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles are the five teams yet to appear on the countdown.

Seattle and Miami are tied with Pittsburgh for most players cracking MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list with six representatives.

2022 is a major year for the Pirates to take an increased step forward and begin to turn the corner on the current rebuild and the wealth of prospects will be dependent on making the Pirates relevant again in the national landscape of baseball.