Surprising Player Revealed As Pirates Minor League Player Of Year

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a surplus of pitching prospects that are impressing in the minor leagues.

Pittsburgh has quietly shown the league how well they can develop starting pitchers. Just this year, they elevated starting pitchers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. Skenes became an All-Star as a rookie with a blistering 1.96 ERA, while Jones also developed into a reliable starter in the Pirates rotation. Pittsburgh’s current top prospect is pitcher Bubba Chandler, who’s also set to make it to the big leagues soon.

In a surprising move, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter named pitcher Carlson Reed the Pirates Minor League Player of the Year over top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler.

“Right-hander Bubba Chandler had a fantastic 2024 season, and he will likely open 2025 as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, but it was Reed who had the best statistical season in the Pirates system,” Reuter writes. “The 6’4″, 200-pound right-hander pitched to a 1.99 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 130 strikeouts in 108.2 innings at Single-A and High-A, erasing some concerns about his potential reliever risk.”

Reed is currently ranked as Pittsburgh’s No. 30 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft and is projected to reach the big leagues in 2026. Reed’s further development in the minor leagues will play a major role in whether he makes it to the majors as a starter or a reliever, but having a surplus of young pitching options is great for the Pirate’s future.

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