PHOENIX -- Coming into this season, there was plenty of focus on the pitching heading to Class AA Altoona. Quinn Priester, Mike Burrows, Carmen Mldozniski and Tahnaj Thomas were all ranked highly on the team's top prospect charts.
Colin Selby wasn't on those charts, but the 24-year-old right-hander has made a name for himself out of the bullpen, recording a 2.70 ERA in mostly leverage innings with upper-90s heat and two plus breaking pitches. One person in Altoona described Selby as one of the best reliever prospects who has come through the system.
So why isn't Selby getting the same attention as other reliever prospects in the system?
"You don't hear of a lot of DIII guys coming through the system and staying a while," Selby told me in Altoona.
After being drafted in the 16th round in 2018 out of Randolph-Macon, VA, Selby started a bit slow in the system, sitting mostly in the lower 90s in his introduction. He found some velocity in his first full season with the team, but wound up needing Tommy John surgery after the 2019 season.
That surgery cued a mechanical tweak, making sure his body was more in sync during his delivery. Previously, his wrist would twist during his motion, meaning his forearm and elbow would drag behind his body because of how his arm would bend. That created unwanted stress and led to the injury.
When he did get back on a mound in 2021, he had to learn how to make the change from starter to reliever. It did not go well to start, mainly due to control problems, especially with his breaking pitches. Hitters could then sit on his fastball, and while it could sit 96-98 mph, it wasn't enough to blow by hitters consistently.
"It was very frustrating, and I think people could tell at times," Selby said about those early months last season.
Then Greensboro pitching coach Matt Ford picked up on those frustrations and gave Selby a book to read: The Mental ABCs of Pitching by H.A. Dorfman. Selby isn't a big reader, but would pick it up a chapter at a time.
One night, he finished a passage on how to respond after errors, and the situation presented itself in a game. With that chapter in mind, he navigated the inning scoreless, and he started a second-half turnaround. He recorded a 2.43 ERA from July through the end of the season and became one of the go-to relievers at the end of games.
"Whether it was the book or something was happening, I didn't really care, because something was happening for once," Selby said.
He also had a new pitch: A modified cutter that played more like a slider, giving him two breaking pitches that one analyst described to me as plus offerings:
Colin Selby strikes out the side in the eighth and punches four batters over 1.2 innings of relief!🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Yj2dukP7IK
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 31, 2022
"I just wanted something that was a little harder, so the second half of last year, I started throwing this cutter that's sometimes a slider, sometimes not," Selby said.
With those pitches in his back pocket, Selby has become one of the closers for Altoona and could be on a major-league trajectory.
"I'm trying to just keep my ears open and learn a little bit every day," Selby said. "[I] like showing us DIII guys can play with the top prospects from DI and out of high school."
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
This is the new DKPS top-10 ranking of the Pirates' prospects, as selected -- and debated -- by our baseball staff of Chris Halicke, Jarrod Prugar, Cory Giger and myself.
With the draft signing period now closed, those players are now eligible for the list.
Each week, we'll move players up and down as warranted, though the final ranking's always intended to reflect the overarching potential for their performance upon arriving in Pittsburgh, rather than being a short-term hot/cold list. Also, if they're in the majors, even on an emergency basis, they won't be on this list. It's for players in the minors.
1. HENRY DAVIS (1)
Position: Catcher
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2021
Age: 22
Stats: .268/.399/.483, 7 HR, 31 RBI
Davis was one of the big fallers on Baseball America's top 100 prospect update, going from No. 41 at the start of the season to No. 86. They cite injury as a big reason why, though they imply he has had two wrist injuries rather than an aggravation of the original injury, which is what happened. It's understandable that his stock has taken a hit, but we still have Davis at the top of our list for now. He's resumed gripping activities in Florida, so he has a good shot at returning to game action before the end of the year. Finishing the year active and perhaps a trip to the Arizona Fall League would go a long way to getting the most out of what's left in 2022.
2. TERMARR JOHNSON (2)
Position: Shortstop
Affiliate: Florida Complex League
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2022
Age: 18
Stats: N/A
Johnson could potentially end the season at No. 1 on this list, but we're still taking the stance that he has to get some in-game reps first. Well, he is starting to take those reps and appeared in his first professional game Tuesday:
Pittsburgh Pirates 1st Round Pick Termarr Johnson grounds out to second base in his first professional at-bat. Love the hustle down to first base on what most would consider a routine play. More video to come from the 1st rounder’s debut! @OSportscards #termarrjohnson #pirates pic.twitter.com/TXPz4KR7Gg
— MiLB Prospectos (@MiLBProspectos) August 9, 2022
3. QUINN PRIESTER (5)
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2019
Age: 21
Stats: 1-3, 2.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 38 K, 10 BB
Our big riser on this week's list, Priester has been on a roll since his late start, flashing a real five-pitch mix with an improved changeup that he told me he has more confidence in. We believe that No. 3-5 on this list are very close to one another in terms of current talent level and potential. Confidence in a five-pitch arsenal gives Priester the bonus point now to jump ahead.
4. MIKE BURROWS (3)
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Class AAA Indianapolis
Acquired: Pirates' 11th-round pick, 2018
Age: 22
Stats: 4-5, 3.83 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 97 K, 26 BB
Burrows is still learning to navigate AAA hitting, and allowed four runs (three earned) over five frames in his most recent start on Saturday. There was a reason why he was chosen to represent the Pirates in the Futures Game, so there's hardly a reason to push the panic button over a handful of rough starts after making a jump to a higher level.
5. LIOVER PEGUERO (4)
Position: Shortstop
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Trade with Diamondbacks, 2020
Age: 21
Stats: .260/.303/.394, 7 HR, 40 RBI
Peguero got some reps at second base this week since Nick Gonzales is still away from the Curve. He's in a cold spell at the dish, though. On Sunday, he had his first multi-hit game since July 12.
6. NICK GONZALES (6)
Position: Second base
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2020
Age: 23
Stats: .247/.366/.377, 4 HR, 15 RBIs
Gonzales (foot) saw some game action this week in Florida, his first since hitting the injured list on June 1. That's a good sign for him finishing the season back with the Curve and hopefully finishing a frustrating campaign strong.
7. ANTHONY SOLOMETO (7)
Position: Left-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Low Class A Bradenton
Acquired: Pirates' second-round pick, 2021
Age: 19
Stats: 3-0, 3.55 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 27 K, 10 BB
Solometo posted three scoreless frames in his outing last Tuesday, striking out a pair. He's shown flashes of brilliance with the Marauders. Now the challenge is showing some consistency and string together a couple strong outings.
8. ENDY RODRIGUEZ (9)
Position: Catcher, Utility
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Trade with Mets/Padres, 2021
Age: 22
Stats: .302/.394/.544, 16 HR, 55 RBI
The accolades keep coming and we have no choice but to bump Rodriguez up a spot on this list. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of The Month in July after hitting .373 with eight home runs, 21 RBIs and a 1.262 OPS. How do you follow a performance like that? How about a 5-for-5 performance Wednesday.
This hot streak has culminated into a promotion for the young catcher to Altoona.
9. BUBBA CHANDLER (8)
Position: Right-handed pitcher, designated hitter
Affiliate: Class Low A Bradenton
Acquired: Pirates' third-round pick, 2021
Age: 19
Pitching stats: 0-1, 2.16 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 40 K, 18 BB
Hitting stats: .221/.357/.456, 3 HR, 14 RBI
Chandler was wild in his last start, walking four over 3 1/3 innings. He mentioned to me that he's not stressing outings like that because he's still learning how to use his body and how his stuff performs in different situations. Both are fair points. He's more raw than most prospects, but the ceiling is as high as anyone in the system.
10. JI-HWAN BAE (10)
Position: Utility
Affiliate: Class AAA Indianapolis
Acquired: International free agent, 2018
Age: 22
Stats: .297/.364/.450, 8 HR, 41 RBI
Bae (strained left oblique) has begun some light toss. Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said last week there is optimism this injury will only sideline him for 4-6 weeks, which would give him an opportunity to finish the season playing.
AROUND THE SYSTEM
• Malcolm Nuñez, one of two players the Pirates received in the José Quintana/Chris Stratton trade from the Cardinals, will make his Pirates system debut Tuesday, batting fifth and playing first base.
• Utilityman Jase Bowen has been promoted to Class High A Greensboro. He has hit .278 with an .805 OPS, 14 home runs and 20 stolen bases this year for Low A Bradenton.
