Pirates’ prospect update: Pitcher Quinn Priester

On this edition of the Pirates’ prospect update, we take a look at pitcher Quinn Priester, who has been slashing through opposing batters with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Earlier this month, the Pirates welcomed the promotion of Luis Ortiz, who just earned his first big league win against the Rangers. Next on the upcoming list of Pirates prospects should be Priester, as he could make an immediate impact in the Buccos’ rotation.

Knocking on the doors of the Majors at the tender young age of 22, “Q” has shown that he has the physical abilities to be affective. His fou- pitch mix continues to develop in the lower levels, but always adapts when the challenge is raised. 2023 saw him with begin in Indy for the first time in his career, and while it started slow he has now found a great groove at the Triple-A level. Just a week ago, he posted a stat line of seven innings pitched with nine strikeouts vs. Iowa hitters.

While an ironic 4.12 era for the season is just average, his earned run average for May is a jaw dropping 1.13, as he is clearly heating up.

The jump made by Ortiz earlier in the month is likely going to delay the Priester train coming to Pittsburgh. However, the Pirates are still not fully recovered from the hangover that they suffered after the Tampa series. More of the woes showed today as the bats were quiet in game two against the Rangers, and starter Rich Hill gave up seven hits in five innings pitched. If more of the same continues, his promotion may be expedited faster than we expect.

I believe that before the end of the year, Priester will be playing in Pittsburgh. At some point development wise, reps at the next level are going to be the only way to make substantial steps forward. It could be a garbage time scenario where he’s called up, but if the Pirates are fighting to hold onto a potential playoff spot, maybe we’ll see the young Buc brought up to help find some stability in the rotation outside of Mitch Keller.

Pitcher Quinn Priester currently ranks 65th in Major Leagues Baseball’s list of the top 100 prospects.