Travis Swaggerty makes a leap, stands on the precipice
The last professional level at which Swaggerty, the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect on MLB Pipeline, played was High-A in 2019. He was productive as anyone there, leading the team with 79 runs scored, 57 walks and 23 stolen bases while slashing .265/.347/.381 in 121 games.
Since, he spent part of 2020 at the alternate training site in Altoona and then joined the big league club at MLB spring training before again being added to the alternate training site roster — this time in Pittsburgh — for the first month of the 2021 season. Through all of that, general manager Ben Cherington said the Pirates saw Swaggerty prove he was ready to join the Class AAA level, a step away from the majors.
“Despite the missed year, he got a good amount of time on the field and at-bats and exposure, and we just see improvement,” Cherington said Saturday. “We see, even from the beginning of major league spring training this year to the last few weeks up here in Pittsburgh, as he's been at the alt site and playing games, he's been one of our most consistent hitters in that group, in terms of the at-bats he's had in the alt site games in April. Hitting the ball hard, playing good defense.”
What it means for Swaggerty’s future progress is up to him. If he performs well, though, perhaps it means an earlier call-up than otherwise would have been anticipated. Maybe even an MLB debut sometime in 2021.
Indianapolis outfield competition
With all that being said, the Indianapolis outfield is crowded and could get even more jammed in the near future. Swaggerty is the exciting young up-and-comer, but Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler, who both made the opening day roster, are there, as well. Troy Stokes Jr., an offseason waiver claim from the Detroit Tigers who performed admirably in spring training, was named to the roster, too.
Plus, veteran outfielder Brian Goodwin, who spent April at the alternate training site, is in a bit of limbo right now. He had an opt-out clause in his deal and was not named to a minor-league roster, but Cherington said he hopes the Pirates and Goodwin are nearing a resolution. What that means exactly is anyone’s guess, but it could result in Goodwin joining the outfield group at Class AAA for a time.
So how that breaks down in terms of playing time is important. The Pirates have struggled to get production from their third outfielder, behind Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco this season. It stands to reason that another player could get a call-up to fill a gap for the big league club. How playing time is given to the myriad of outfielders in Indianapolis, and how those players take advantage of their opportunities, could go a long way in deciding who the next man up would be.
Loaded Altoona infield
Rodolfo Castro already made his MLB debut this season, albeit in a limited and unique opportunity. Oneil Cruz has had a ton of hype surrounding him for years now as the Pirates’ No. 4 prospect, and Ji-Hwan Bae and Mason Martin are top-15 prospects in their own right. All four of them could be manning the infield for Class AA Altoona this season.
They’ll all start the year with the Altoona Curve, at least, which could provide one of the more fascinating day-to-day lineups in the Pirates’ minor league system.
Much attention will be paid to Cruz, specifically, and where he plays on the field. As of now, he is a shortstop, but his 6-foot-7 frame has led to a lot of speculation as to whether that is Cruz’s natural positional fit in the future. Cherington said he wasn’t sure, but if he had to guess, Cruz would start opening day at shortstop.
Still, he admitted that Cruz, along with all those players, could be moved around to gain some exposure at other spots this season.
“I do think we'll see him at other positions as the season goes on, as we will with all those guys, and in Triple-A, too. That group, too,” Cherington said. “So I think we feel like once you're in Double-A, it's important to move around the field. Doesn't mean you won't play more than one position or you won't end up playing one position in the big leagues even. It's possible. But we want to give guys the best chance to be prepared, and part of that is just being exposed around the field.”
Future pitching in High-A
If someone wanted to point to one of the Pirates’ minor league affiliates to find the future of their starting staff, they’d likely be directed to High-A Greensboro. No. 3 prospect Quinn Priester, No. 7 Tahnaj Thomas and No. 11 Carmen Mlodzinski will all begin the season there, forming an incredibly interesting and potentially important rotation for the Grasshoppers.
Even for a former first-round pick, Priester’s stock seems to be skyrocketing. Just take Pipeline’s write-up on Priester for example: “Big, broad and athletic, it’s easy to dream on Priester’s physicality and stuff. The work he did in 2020 on how and when to use all of his pitches and in sharpening all his offerings has as big of an up arrow next to his name as any pitching prospect in baseball.”
Pretty tantalizing. That’s not to mention that the last time the 21-year-old Thomas pitched, he had a 3.17 ERA, while striking out 59 batters with a 1.117 WHIP in the Appalachian League for rookie ball in 2019. Mlodzinski, 22, dominated at South Carolina before becoming another first-round pick in 2020 for the Pirates. So, yes, if those three develop well together, they could provide the next true wave of young pitching talent to the big-league roster in the next few years, and this will be the first full-season look at them in the minors.
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: May 2, 2021, 3:33 p.m.
