When the Pirates traded Josh Bell to the Nationals this offseason, they got two very different types of pitchers in return.
The first was Wil Crowe, a major league ready, safer bet. Someone who could contribute immediately to the big club at the cost of some upside. Crowe is currently part of the Pirates’ rotation and could stick there through the rest of this year.
The other was the complete opposite. A teenage lottery ticket named Eddy Yean who had a big fastball and slider, but plenty of question marks.
How good is the right-hander? Well, it’s tough to say right now. MLB Pipeline grades him as the Pirates’ 12th best prospect. He was 19th on Baseball America’s preseason Pirates top 30. FanGraphs, an outlet that is usually more bullish on players with high upside, put him at 25th.
He’s still only in Class Low-A Bradenton, so he is still years away from potentially reaching the majors, but so far, he’s making the right impression with his new team.
“He has really electric stuff, and his appearance on the mound is intimidating,” Bradenton pitching coach Fernando Nieve told me over the phone Monday.
BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Yeah, Nieve is right. That's a pretty good war face.
That stuff has only become more electric over the past year. In FanGraphs’ scouting report for him, they list his fastball velocity at 91-94 mph, maxing out at 96 mph. Nieve said he’s been in the 94-99 mph range this year.
His slider is almost at that old fastball velocity anymore, sitting at 88-90 mph with depth. He also mixes in a changeup that is more than a show-me pitch.
Part of that jump in velocity is because Yean has started to grow into his body. He turned 20 last week and has filled out his 6’1” frame. That extra weight hasn’t impacted his mechanics, though, which is often the case when young pitchers get bigger.
The second is a change in approach. Yean didn’t start the year off on the right foot, allowing at least four runs in three of his first six outings. That electric stuff wasn’t showing up in games. He was pitching more reserved.
“His mentality was to keep his arm fresh longer,” Nieve said. “We had a good conversation… I would prefer you start aggressive and [go after the hitter] early so that way it will help you go longer in the game. It’s what he did the last game.”
That last game was a six-inning gem on June 25, where he struck out nine and was on the hook for just one base runner. It earned him the distinction of being the pitcher of the week for the Low-A Southeast division.
There is a tradeoff for Yean attacking with his best stuff, though: Durability. Like their parent club, the Marauders are being cautious with innings and workloads. That, plus a large collection of potential starting pitching prospect, is the reason why they are using piggyback starters often, where two pitchers will each go three or four innings, rather than one going six or seven.
That might just be Yean’s future. Nieve loves what Yean brings – he was the first one to bring him up in our conversation – but isn’t sure yet if he’ll be “a true starter in the big leagues.” He still has to mature more body wise, Nieve says.
Yean will be developed as a starter, and could still wind up as one, but there’s a possibility of him going down the path of being a multi-inning reliever as well.
“He’ll have his chances,” Nieve said. “He’s one of the most electric guys that we have here.”
MORE PROSPECT NOTES
• Ben Cherington provided some updates on a couple non-prospects down in Indianapolis. First, Cherington explained Cole Tucker’s previous absence as a non-COVID-related virus that “knocked him out for a few days.” Tucker singled twice and walked twice in 16 at-bats this week. He’s batting .213 with a .327 on-base percentage in 24 games at Indianapolis this season. The other update was on Anthony Alford, who missed the entire week of games after injuring his wrist in a collision last week. Alford did hit his head but doesn’t seem to be suffering any concussion-like symptoms, according to Cherington. The general manager also said that Alford seems to have avoided major damage to the wrist as well. Alford had been scorching hot at the plate before being injured, which caught Cherington’s attention. “He's been hitting for power, he's been getting on base, playing all three outfield spots. You know it's interesting, it may not be an ideal scenario from the player's perspective but we did feel like there could be real benefit to Anthony getting a chance to just play everyday in Triple-A,” Cherington said. Cherington also gave a Mitch Keller update that, much like many of his starts, should be a test of patience. -- Gerard Gilberto
• Omar Cruz made the most of his call up to Altoona by going six innings allowing five hits, one run and striking out two in his first start in Class AA Friday against Harrisburg. He showed off the big curve that made him part of the Pirates' return for Joe Musgrove this winter. The biggest thing to notice in the lefty's debut is he did not yield a walk, which isn't exactly par for the course, as Cruz allowed only 14 walks while in Greensboro. -- Jarrod Prugar in Altoona, Pa.
• Mason Martin has had a spectacular June, as his batting average has crept up to .253 after beginning the month at .234. Martin has also added five home runs this month including this walk off Saturday night when the Curve were down to their last strike. -- Jarrod
Mason Martin called game. pic.twitter.com/7iKWrWHHuQ
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) June 26, 2021
• The return of Nick Gonzales provided some fireworks in Greensboro. The organization’s top prospect finished with three hits in nine at-bats since his return Friday night -- two of which left the yard. Gonzales and Liover Peguero were two of five Grasshoppers to homer twice in the series against Greenville. Peguero went 6 for 20 with four RBIs, but it was outfielder Fabricio Macias that won the week. The 23-year-old had 10 hits in 23 at-bats (.435) with a pair of homers, three doubles and seven RBIs. Macias is batting .333/.383/.540 with six homers and 36 RBIs this season overall. He’s been a slower mover through the system in three years since signing with the Pirates out of the Mexican League. But this is already his best season from a power standpoint. Macias is two homers shy of his previous minor-league best in 322 fewer at-bats. -- Gerard
• There are obviously a ton of arms that deserve attention in Greensboro. So, the starter that impressed the most during this past week was 2020 draftee Carmen Mlodzinski. The No. 31 overall pick in last year’s draft yielded just two hits, including a solo homer, in six innings while setting a new career-high with nine strikeouts in his outing Friday. The 22-year-old has a 2.25 ERA with 28 strikeouts through his first 20 professional innings. There was something else that came up that’ll be worth keeping an eye on heading into this week: Quinn Priester was lifted after just 3 ⅓ innings in his start last week. He walked four and surrendered three hits, with just one run allowed on a homer. -- Gerard
• While he was in Greensboro last week, I asked Tom Reed if he could snag some video of Quinn Priester. He obliged:
He hit his spot with a heater up for a called third strike. It was a nice grab.
If you haven't read Tom's piece on Greensboro's pitching...what are you waiting for? It's terrific. -- Alex
• We may need to make a dedicated weekly Santiago Florez update a thing. (Look, Gerard and I really like him. It's just quirky enough for In The System, right?) The right-handed spin monster (he gets about 2,800 RPM on his curve) allowed two runs over six innings in his last start, raising his season ERA to 1.51. But what has impressed Nieve the most is when he is off the pitching rubber. "Not just pitching wise, but knowing what he can do," Nieve said. "Game preparation and all the stuff between games is unbelievable. I think he went to a different stage now." The Pirates are going to have to make a hard decision with Florez this offseason, who is Rule 5 eligible. Do they dare try to sneak him through? If they add him to the roster, do they continue to develop him as a starter, knowing it would take more time and eat most of his option years before he ever reaches the majors? -- Alex
• We're moving and expanding our rankings section to a separate article. Keep an eye on that.
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YOUR TURN: We'd love to hear from you, too, especially if you make it out to see any of these prospects and affiliates play. Feel free to file your own original scouting reports and other observations in comments.