Team Outlook

The Pittsburgh Pirates have not made the postseason since 2015, but that is in the past, and their front office is hoping this is the year they break through. The Pirates have an impressive stable of pitchers, headlined by Paul Skenes, and their farm system has been churning out all sorts of pitchers that may help Skenes make the postseason: Bubba Chandler, Hunter Barco, and Braxton Ashcroft, to name a few. The system is headlined by a top-2 prospect in Konnor Griffin, who has the makings of a potential superstar. There is plenty of power, and despite how big and imposing he is, there is a chance he sticks at shortstop. The Pirates have not been afraid to shoot for upside in their draft classes and in the IFA market, with prospects like Konnor Griffin, Wyatt Sanford, Esmerlyn Valdez, Edward Florentino, and even further down the rankings, Darrell Morel. The Pirates are a few hitting pieces away from being a formidable opponent on any given night, and after selling at the deadline in 2025, they have a chance to buy smartly this offseason and end the sport's longest postseason drought.

About Our Top 20 Lists

Prospects Live, led by its evaluating team & Director of Scouting Rhys White, is proud to begin rolling out its annual offseason system reports. The team combines industry feedback, our live looks, film, and available data to compile each org. We believe this effort has enabled us to present you, the reader, with our best possible view of the prospects in the organization.

We have constructed this list using the Overall Future Potential (OFP) scale. There is no perfect equation for ranking prospects or assigning value to them, but we believe this method is the best possible approach. Every prospect on this list has been graded based on the tried and true 20-80 scouting scale. An 80 is the highest tool and OFP grade on the scale, reserved for MVP-caliber players or tools. Conversely, a 20 is reserved for non-prospects (NPs). A 50 OFP falls in the middle, indicating our evaluators deem this player a future average major league player. Below the 50 OFP tier are the 45s and 40s, comprising a large majority of players on each list. These are specific-role players, such as platoon hitters, utility players, or low-leverage relievers. Above the 50 OFP tier are the 55s and 60s. A 55 represents a future above-average player, and a 60 OFP designation is reserved for future All-Star caliber players.

In addition to the tool grades and OFP, we will also include a 'Risk' associated with each prospect. We use this to better communicate to you, the reader, whether a grade is more aggressive or conservative in nature. The evaluation team has worked hard to apply both the grades and risk components to better illustrate how each individual prospect stacks up in their respective system and in the baseball ecosystem.

Evaluators: Brandon Tew, Grant Carver, Jacob Maxwell, Matt Seese, Mitch Stachnik, Nate Jones, Rhys White, Tyler Paddor

Find all the Top 20 Lists here:

2026 Team Prospect Lists - Prospects Live
Prospects LiveProspects Live Staff

Top 20 Prospects at a Glance

1. Konnor Griffin, OF - 70 OFP
2. Bubba Chandler, P - 60 OFP
3. Seth Hernandez, RHP - 55 OFP
4. Edward Florentino, 1B - 50 OFP
5. Hunter Barco, LHP - 50 OFP
6. Wyatt Sanford, SS - 50 OFP
7. Sammy Stafura, SS - 45 OFP
8. Thomas Harrington, RHP - 45 OFP
9. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP - 45 OFP
10. Antwone Kelly, RHP - 45 OFP
11. Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B - 45 OFP
12. Edgleen Perez, C - 45 OFP
13. Termarr Johnson, 2B - 45 OFP
14. Darell Morel, 3B - 45 OFP
15. Murf Gray, 3B - 45 OFP
16. Jack Brannigan, SS - 45 OFP
17. Jhonny Severino, SS - 45 OFP
18. Easton Carmichael, C - 45 OFP
19. Levi Sterling, RHP - 45 OFP
20. Wilber Dotel, RHP - 45 OFP

Scouting Reports

Find Scouting Reports, Tool Grades and Dynasty Outlooks in each toggle section

1. Konnor Griffin, OF - 70 OFP

Scouting Report

HT: 6-4 WT: 225 H/T: R/R
Highest Level: AA
ETA: 2026

OFP: 70

Risk: High

Hit: 50
Power: 70
Field: 50
Throw: 60
Run: 60

Scouting Report

There might be no bigger physical specimen in baseball than Konnor Griffin. He makes other professional athletes look small, as he looks like an NFL tight end out there on a baseball diamond. Konnor Griffin flew through the low minors and ended his season in Double-A, cementing himself as a consensus top-two prospect in the sport thanks to his mix of power and speed, and emerging contact. The report on him before the season was that he couldn't make enough contact to tap into the in-game power, but he showed that he could and then some. This started with a change in his hand-placement pre-pitch that allowed his double-plus bat speed to come into play. He has good plate coverage and he tracks pitches well. He has a good understanding of the strike zone. His bat-to-ball skills are solid, and he makes a lot of loud contact. The power is easily double-plus; the one thing he could stand to do is lift and pull more batted balls, but that is picking nits. In the field, Griffin projects out to be an average defensive shortstop, even if it is an unconventional look seeing such a well-built athlete at shortstop. His range is solid there. He also has the fall-back option of being a plus defender in center field, as we have seen him flash glimpses of being an impact defender out there. Griffin has one of the best collections of tools we have seen in a while, with a plus arm, plus speed, and double-plus power. He will start the season in Double-A, and if everything goes well, he has a chance to see a brief cup of coffee in the majors at the end of the season, and his tools and production give him a chance to become a multi-time All-Star. - Rhys White

2. Bubba Chandler, P - 60 OFP