In the System: Fast-riser Ortiz cracks the majors

It was during my first trip to Class AA Altoona this year that I first heard the buzz about Luis Ortiz. The right-hander had skipped high Class A Greensboro entirely, going from Bradenton to Class AA, pushing the 22-year-old right-hander ahead of his Rule 5-eligible season.

The buzz was that he could touch triple digits as a starter and spin a slider.

And when those two pitches are working, they can both miss bats:

If that immaculate inning in August wasn't impressive enough, how about six no-hit innings in his second start for Class AAA Indianapolis last week, which earned him International League pitcher of the week honors:

Ortiz is going to be eligible for our minor-league rundown for just a few hours after publication, as he will have his contract selected Tuesday and make his major-league debut against the Reds.

The No. 22 prospect on Baseball America's list of Pirates prospects, Ortiz has risen more than possibly any pitcher this year. So how high could his ceiling be?

In Altoona, I heard the bullpen could be his landing spot. One analyst is very high on him and suggested he could stick as a starter. If the Pirates bring back the hybrid role, could he be a candidate for that?

The Pirates rotation for 2023 is, at the moment, fairly wide open outside of Roansy Contreras, Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker. Ortiz could potentially pitch his way into that mix. If nothing else, he was in Bradenton last year, and now he's getting a cup of coffee in the majors. That means something.

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: .263/.380/.495, 8 HR, 38 RBI

Last Saturday, Davis did something he had never done in pro ball: He played right field. Don't read too much into that yet, as it is a way to get both him and Endy Rodriguez into the lineup now that the Pirates' top two catching prospects are with Altoona. The club hasn't made a decision yet of if this is something they want to puruse with him outside of these last few weeks to make sure he gets as many at-bats as possible down the stretch.

"I don't think we've gotten past 2022 yet," Ben Cherington said Sunday. "I think, for right now, it's just about getting them both in the lineup. They're both athletic enough to go other spots, so that's a benefit. They both need to play and we believe they're both catchers, but they're athletic and probably can do some other things too. We'll see how it plays out."

2. TERMARR JOHNSON (2)

Position: Shortstop
Affiliate: Florida Complex League
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2022
Age: 18
Stats: .222/.366/.365, 1 HR, 6 RBI

Johnson's first professional home run can be chalked up to one thing: Hustle. Frankly, it should have been a single or double, but the right fielder appealed for the ball at the wall to be unplayable and an automatic double. The outfielder never got the call and Johnson kept running:

3. ENDY RODRIGUEZ (7)

Position: Catcher, Utility
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Trade with Mets/Padres, 2021
Age: 22
Stats: .314/.392/.583, 24 HR, 83 RBI

You know what, this is overdue. Rodriguez has continued his torrid hot streak with the Curve and is now Baseball America's No. 99 prospect overall.

This double against Erie this week might be the best illustration of where he's at right now. He gets a high 95 mph and is still able to drive it to the wall to the opposite field. He has a little uppercut to his swing, which usually comes at the cost of hitting high heat. That hasn't been the case for him:

He's all but officially a lock to be added to roster this offseason.

4. QUINN PRIESTER (3)

Position: Right-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2019
Age: 21
Stats: 4-3, 2.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 74 K, 21 BB

Priester has thrown 13 innings of one-run ball in the month of September with three walks and nine strikeouts. He's seemed to get better as the year has progressed, whether that's him getting more used to his tweaked mechanics or using all five pitches in his arsenal. Depending on if Altoona can make a late push into the playoffs, he seems like a candidate to get a late-season promotion to Indianapolis if the Pirates want to get him more competitive innings because of his late start.

Priester was also named the Eastern League pitcher of the week last week.

5. MIKE BURROWS (4)

Position: Right-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Class AAA Indianapolis
Acquired: Pirates' 11th-round pick, 2018
Age: 22
Stats: 5-5, 3.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 111 K, 30 BB

I've opined this year that Burrows should be considered a top 100 prospect because of his plus secondary offerings and his steady improvement with his command and approach. Baseball America finally agreed and has Burrows ranked as their No. 97 prospect in the game.

But has he thrown his last pitch this year? Shoulder inflammation shut him down for a bit, though he is throwing again. The door isn't closed for him to pitch in another game, but he is battling the calendar. 

6. NICK GONZALES (6)

Position: Second base
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2020
Age: 23
Stats: .259/.386/.414, 6 HR, 30 RBIs

Strikeouts are still an ugly storm cloud over Gonzales' 2022 season and prospect status, sporting an ugly 29% strikeout rate. The good news is the hard contact has returned and he's driving the ball as advertised. If he's going to strikeout that often, he has to make that contact count. There's hope that he can cut down on the whiffs as he gets more accustomed to upper-level pitching. If he can do that, he could be an impact hitter.

7. LIOVER PEGUERO (5)

Position: Shortstop
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Trade with Diamondbacks, 2020
Age: 21
Stats: .228/.299/.385, 9 HR, 56 RBI

Peguero just didn't really make that big leap this year. He's posted below-average results at the plate, has a sub 5% walk rate for a potential leadoff hitter and has made 31 errors in the field between shortstop and second base. With that said, he's still considered a top 100 prospect by many because he has tools, but this year might just need to be chalked up to him still being raw. Development isn't always linear, but 2023 is going to be a really important year for him since this season counted as his first option year.

8. ANTHONY SOLOMETO (8)

Position: Left-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Low Class A Bradenton
Acquired: Pirates' second-round pick, 2021
Age: 19
Stats: 5-1, 2.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 51 K, 19 BB

Since the start of August, Solometo has allowed just four earned runs over 25 1/3 innings, striking out 26 over that stretch compared to 10 walks. He's been considered as the most advanced pitcher from his draft class for some time, and it will be interesting to see if that means he'll be the first to go to Greensboro next year.

9. BUBBA CHANDLER (9)

Position: Right-handed pitcher, designated hitter
Affiliate: Class Low A Bradenton
Acquired: Pirates' third-round pick, 2021
Age: 19
Pitching stats: 1-1, 2.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 60 K, 28 BB
Hitting stats: .196/.331/.382, 4 HR, 17 RBI

Part of Chandler's appeal and intrigue as a prospect is that he's a two-way player, but he hasn't had an at-bat since August 28. Let's see what happens with the hitting side of things in 2023. If he turns out to be just a pitcher, he'll still be a really intriguing prospect because he has some of the best stuff at his level.

10. JI-HWAN BAE (10)

Position: Utility
Affiliate: Class AAA Indianapolis
Acquired: International free agent, 2018
Age: 22
Stats: .296/.366/.440, 8 HR, 52 RBI

So will we see Bae in the majors before this season is over? Cherington isn't ruling out adding players to the 40 man roster down the stretch, though Derek Shelton told reporters, including Chris, in Cincinnati that "I don't know if they should expect" Bae to be promoted this season. If he doesn't get the call, he's a good candidate to be added to the 40 man roster this winter.

Editor's note: There will be some standalone prospect pieces in the near future. Keep an eye out for those.