North Shore Tavern Mound Visit: Examining the Pirates' new position player prospects

This turned into a larger undertaking than originally expected.

The Pirates were among the busier teams this trade deadline, making six trades and bringing in 11 new prospects. None are top 100 prospects, and depending on where you stand on Tucupita Marcano, the headliner of the Adam Frazier deal, none are going to slide into the top 10 of this farm system.

But there is a good collection of players here, even if they don’t have the high ceilings Ben Cherington has usually been able to acquire. Of the five we’ll be examining, two have already reached the majors, and the other three are on a good trajectory for at least a major league bench job. The farm system is only getting deeper with their inclusion.

Let’s dive in on who these new guys are. After getting several reports on these players here is what you need to know.

Rather than one enormous article, we’re breaking up Mound Visit into two parts this week. This first entry focuses on the hitters the Pirates acquired. Tuesday’s will focus on the pitchers. I won’t be including the three players acquired in the Frazier trade since they were the subject of last week’s Mound Visit. You can find that article here.

Without further ado, let’s get started:

CATCHER CARTER BINS

When the Pirates’ deal to send Tyler Anderson to the Phillie for mid-level prospects catcher Abrahan Gutierrez and righty Christian Hernandez fell through, they ended up taking the Mariners’ package of a catcher and right-handed pitcher instead -- Bins and Joaquin Tejada. It was a very comparable overall return, even if Tejada is an 18-year-old Dominican Summer League player, giving him far less trade value than Hernandez. It's safe to say Bins is the more highly regarded of the two catching prospects they picked him this deadline.

Bins was drafted in the 11th round in 2019 as a defense-first catcher, which makes this year’s offensive breakout a surprise. While he has stumbled a bit in his 12 games since being promoted to Class AA, he slashed .284/.422/.493 with seven home runs over 185 plate appearances. Baseball America took notice, reporting that he was about to be promoted to the Mariners’ No. 12 prospect for their midseason update.

Watching his swing, his hands can get through the zone quickly. Here he is earlier this month, turning on a high and tight fastball and pulling it down the left field line for a double:

Anderson was only ever going to fetch a mid-level prospect in a trade, but given Bins’ pedigree and current breakthrough on offense, it appears the Pirates could have a sleeper in the system.

That is assuming his defensive problems get under control.

Bins may have been drafted primarily for his defense, but that glove has not been as advertised this season. With the Mariners, he allowed 12 passed balls, made seven errors and threw out just 13 out of 80 potential base stealers.

None of that looks good, but you have to point out that a good chunk of A-ball stolen bases can be attributed to young pitchers not being able to control the running game. That has to account for some of those 67 bases, but not all 67. He did throw out 61% of would-be base stealers in his three years at Fresno State University, so maybe there is hope for the future.

He does project as a good pitch framer, which helps his overall defensive package, but if he isn’t able to block or throw out runners, then there’s a problem.

Since Bins is in Altoona, there’s a decent chance that he will be major league ready before No. 1 draft pick Henry Davis. That’s Davis’ job, though. Bins could end up being the backup catcher of the future, and if everything goes right, maybe the Pirates will have Davis learn another position like first base too so they can get both bats in the lineup.

But let’s not put the cart in front of the horse. Bins is on an upward trajectory and has turned himself from a day three draft pick to a potential big league catcher. There’s still a long ways to go in his development, but there’s obvious appeal.

INFIELDER DIEGO CASTILLO

I’m going to start this blurb by plugging the latest episode of Young Bucs, where Jarrod Prugar had a one-on-one with Castillo. That can be found at the end of the article.

One of the two infield prospects the Pirates got in the Clay Holmes trade, Castillo was one of the top international free agents in 2014, but slowly lost his prospect status after several years of mediocre offensive results. From 2016-2019, he had 1,664 plate appearances and went deep just eight times. Paired with an on-base percentage that was .310 or lower in three of those four years, it looked like he would fall into obscurity in the lower levels of the Yankees’ farm system.

He earned a look in Class AA this year though, and he has had a massive offensive breakout. In 241 plate appearances between the Somerset Patriots and Altoona Curve, Castillo has homered 12 times with a .270/.344/.494 slash line.

He’s doing basically everything you would want to see from a young hitter. His ground ball rate is down, he’s hitting more fly balls and his low strikeout rate is holding steady.

His best tool is making contact on pitches in the zone, and for the first time, we’re seeing that contact translate into some pop:

It’s fair to wonder how real this newfound power is though. There are some mechanical changes in play, including a new big leg kick and what appears to be some new movement at his core to open up his hips more, which points to him selling out for power. As long as the whiffs don’t spike up, that’s fine, but if he starts fanning more or if those fly balls start dying on the warning track, the bulk of his offensive output isn’t enough.

This is speculation on my part, but Castillo looks like the type of player that’s going to be on the outside looking in when this offseason’s roster crunch happens. A Class AA infielder with defensive versatility isn’t exactly a lock to be taken, but there’s a decent chance he would be scooped up if left unprotected.

That’s going to make these final weeks of the minor-league season so crucial from an internal evaluation standpoint. He’s probably a bench player long term, but there’s a big difference between a regular major league bench player, a quality depth piece who is only a call away in Indianapolis or just depth at the upper-levels of the organization. I’d say the middle scenario is the most likely outcome for Castillo. If he can maintain this power surge, then that projection will get booted up.

Right now, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him at the very end of some top 30 prospect lists.

UTILITY PLAYER MICHAEL CHAVIS

Unlike the other players on this list, Chavis is not a prospect. He’s been in the majors for the last three seasons, posting overall mediocre results. Over 168 games and 622 plate appearances, he’s gone deep 25 times, but slashed just .234/.291/.413 and been worth -0.1 WAR. This year has been his worst at the plate, hitting below the Medoza line (.190) with a .549 OPS.

However, he’s still just 25, can play five positions (first, second, third and corner outfield) and Cherington took him in the first round of the 2014 draft when he was the Red Sox general manager. There’s obvious appeal.

“Maybe [it’s] a bit of a fresh start for him coming out of the organization that drafted him originally,” Cherington said. “Hopefully a fresh start for him.”

For Chavis, it’s a simple case of just trying to cut down on his whiffs and strikeouts. This season, he has whiffed at over 45% of his swings against fastballs and over 45% of his swings against breaking pitches. Unsurprisingly, he’s struck out in 39% of his plate appearances.

If you’re looking for some good news, he is doing a better job making contact against breaking and offspeed stuff in the zone this year:

That does come with the tradeoff that his whiff rate on fastballs in the zone has spiked up, but that might simply be a case of not getting consistent playing time, making it tougher for him to get his timing down. More consistent reps could help there

The bad news is he is chasing more often. Maybe it’s a case of a young bench player pressing, but he’s offering at over 40% of fastball out of the zone and two-thirds of breaking pitches that would be balls:

Chavis has a whiff problem, and a lot of it seems self-inflicted. But when he does get the bat to the ball, he has some serious pop:

The simplest conclusion with Chavis is the Pirates swapped a waiver wire lefty for a former first-rounder. There’s a decent chance this trade will turn out to be nothing more than exchanging replacement level players, but Chavis definitely has more upside. If he can learn to make more consistent contact, then the Pirates might have a Sean Rodriguez-type player on their hands. If nothing else, his defensive versatility makes him a practical player to have during a major roster shakeup.

CATCHER ABRAHAN GUTIERREZ

When Anderson was going to the Phillies, I got a very good report on Gutierrez. Once the deal fell through, it looked like the Pirates missed out on a young catcher prospect.

Instead, the Phillies and Pirates improvised and came together on a separate deal for Gutierrez on Friday, sending minor-league reliever Braeden Ogle instead.

“[He] is performing really well in full-season,” Cherington said when I asked what he likes about the young catcher. “Controls the strike zone. Strong defensive skills. We got to know him as an amateur, have done more work on him since. We really like the person we’re acquiring.”

The report I got Gutierrez focused on that “elite zone control.” That applies more as a hitter though, because from what I was told, the receiving skills aren’t really three yet. He’s fine as a blocker and has a decent arm, so the overall defensive package is fine, especially for someone still in Class Low-A.

His trajectory is up right now because he’s hitting, slashing .288/.420/.429 over 50 games for Clearwater this year. That on-base percentage is a product of that zone control, but there isn’t much potential for power. He’s averaging an exit velocity of just 86 mph this year -- on the lower side for the Pirates' legitimate hitting prospects -- and while he does have five homers and 10 doubles this year, his offensive profile is more of a spray hitter.

But he will occasionally run into one:

Time will tell if he will be able to drive the ball with any consistency in the upper levels of the system, but the offensive profile is pretty mediocre outside of that terrific pitch recognition. While someone like Endy Rodriguez could theoretically play catcher, first base or right field, Gutierrez isn’t going to hit enough to go to a corner spot. He needs to stick at catcher or he’ll probably wash away.

Gutierrez is Rule 5 eligible this winter, but a Low-A catcher is the type of player you can usually stash away for a year. Next year in Greensboro will probably determine what his future with the organization is.

Right now, Gutierrez is on a trajectory that could be enough to get him to the majors, but not to the point where he is worthy of a roster spot this year. Improving his framing skills would go a long way from elevating him from a fringe guy to a legitimate major league option.

UTLITY PLAYER HOY PARK

Park had his contract selected Saturday and roped his first big league hit Sunday. He should spend at least a good chunk of these last two months in the majors, so we have a pretty good idea what his floor is. What’s the ceiling?

The Holmes trade was unexpected, but it looks like the Pirates at least got an interesting return for the right-hander. After all, you can certainly do worse than taking a flyer on one of the best Class AAA hitters this season.

With the Yankees’ highest affiliate this year, Park slashed an eye-opening .327/.475/.567 with 10 homers, nine doubles and as many walks (46) as strikeouts. The power is a new revelation, with his best slugging clip before this season being .383 back in rookie ball in 2015.

A lot of that has to do with him learning what pitches he should look to drive more.

“Now it’s just trying to get him to have a little bit more intent in his work and pay a little more focus to the trajectory of the baseball and his intent level,” Scranton hitting coach Casey Dykes told Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune.  “... Let’s hit those pitches hard. Let’s drive those balls.”

Comparing his mechanics from the past to now, he’s definitely tweaked his stance and mechanics. In the past, he was not in a good position to hit while waiting for the pitch. In 2019, he leaned back while in the set position, his bat was touching his back shoulder. This year, he’s more upright and his hands are much closer to the load position. He gets ready to hit sooner. There’s also a lot less leg movement, ditching a long, sweeping motion for a toe tap:

To compare, here he is 2019:

And his first hit in the majors Sunday:

“He's made some adjustments in his swing, which our scouts and baseball ops people have identified that we like,” Derek Shelton said.

A simpler approach can go a long way. The hands are still really high, which flies in the face of most of today’s power hitters, so don’t expect him to slug as much in the majors. But if he continues to draw walks and drive balls into the gap, he’ll be a good hitter at the highest level.

WIth Mercado and Chavis also recently added to the fold, it isn’t exactly clear where the three will stand depth chart wise come 2022. Park’s ceiling is probably being a good utility player, but he has a high floor too since he’s major league ready. If either he or Chavis clicks, then the Pirates will have done a good job flipping their replacement level relievers.