The Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system is loaded with pitching talent. Bubba Chanlder recently debuted and headlines the group, but 2025 draft pick Seth Hernandez is near the top of several prospect lists. Left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco is also knocking on the door of the major leagues.
In terms of position players, some evaluators are concerned about a lack of high-end talent. Konnor Griffin is the top prospect in baseball. There isn’t a ton behind him, though.
Edward Florentino has played 50 games at Low-A Bradenton, and he’s starting to turn heads. At 18 years old, he’s young for the level, but he’s producing at a high level. He has a .920 OPS with 10 home runs and 31 stolen bases. His strikeout rate is a tad high at 23%, but scouts have noted he has a good feel for the strike zone.
“This is the level where guys start to see more spin than they’ve ever seen before, and he’s hanging in there,” Pirates farm director Michael Chernow told Baseball America. “He’s not afraid of the ball, he’s not afraid of left-handed pitching, he does a really nice job staying consistent from an offensive standpoint in the box.”
Florentino is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. At his age, there’s still room for him to add weight and power. He fits the bill off the field as well, according to Chernow.
Story continues below advertisement
“We’re talking about a really high character, high work ethic, hungry, determined—all of the superlatives that you could throw there—he checks a lot of boxes,” he said.
Florentino is still a long way from helping the Pirates at the big league level. Position players are a need in the system, though, and the outfielder is a welcome addition to that group. MLB Pipeline ranked Florentino the Pirates’ fifth-best prospect.
Featured image via Orlando Ramirez/Imagn Images