10 Pirates Prospects To Know Beyond The Top 30 in 2025
Baseball America’s Top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects entering 2025 are here exclusively for subscribers. The list includes updated scouting reports, BA grades and tool grade projections for every player.
Inevitably, there are players every year who barely miss the cut when we narrow down the list. These players are all worth monitoring for various reasons and it’s likely some will either reach the big leagues in 2025 or enjoy breakout seasons lower in the minors. Last year’s list, for example, included 3B/OF Charles McAdoo, who the Pirates traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline after a strong first half of the 2024 season.
Here are next 10 players to know in the Pirates system beyond their Top 30. You can find the complete index of players who just missed their teams’ respective lists here.
31. Richard Ramirez, C. An under-the-radar signing out of Venezuela in 2022, Ramirez has turned in two consecutive productive seasons and has some powerful attributes. His 103.7 mph 90th percentile exit velocity at 18 years old suggests easy plus power and he’s also a plus thrower behind the plate. He struck out 32.2% of the time in the Florida Complex League in 2024 and needs to chase less, but his youth, power, arm strength and chance to stick behind the dish make for an interesting lower-level catcher to watch.
32. Nick Cimillo, 1B/C. Cimillo is something of an unheralded data darling. His 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was one of the best markers in Pittsburgh’s system and he’s also a very patient hitter at the plate. Cimillo would benefit from being a bit more aggressive and he’ll have to prove he can handle upper-level velocity. He’ll also be 25 years old in 2025 with a tough defensive profile. But Cimillo’s impressive underlying data in 2024 put him on the map internally.
33. Kendrick Herrera, SS. Herrera signed for $450,000 in 2024 out of the Dominican Republic. He’s a defensive-minded infielder with a plus arm, good mobility and a chance for plus shortstop defense. Scouts were pleasantly surprised with his bat-to-ball skills and knowledge of the strike zone in the Dominican Summer League, and he’s one to watch if he gets stronger and it translates to more impact.
34. Darrell Morel, SS. Morel was expected to sign with the Dodgers for a little under $1 million until the Pirates swooped in with a $1.8 million offer while Los Angeles waited for Roki Sasaki’s decision this winter. He has grown to a long-limbed, lanky 6-foot-5, 190-pound frame and he has a chance for plus-plus raw power once he fills out. Some scouts were concerned about Morel’s swing-and-miss risk and ability to recognize spin. He’s also unlikely to stick at shortstop. Still, the power potential makes him a high-risk, high-upside addition to Pittsburgh’s 2025 international class.
35. Brandan Bidois, RHP. The Australia native has the pure stuff befitting a mid-to-late-inning bullpen arm. Bidois’ mid-90s fastball touches 98, and he pairs it with a plus cut-slider and a developing curveball with tons of depth. He needs to land his offspeeds for strikes more consistently, especially after ending the year by walking nine batters in 7.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League. The Pirates left him unprotected ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.
36. Estuar Suero, OF. Acquired from the Padres at the 2023 trade deadline, Suero never got on track in 2024. A hamate injury limited the switch-hitting outfielder to 25 games in which he hit just .213/.318/.307 and didn’t show the same energy scouts saw in years past. Suero is a long, lean hitter with solid strike-zone knowledge who covers plenty of ground in center field, but he’ll need to get in better swing positions more consistently to access his above-average raw power.
37. Sammy Siani, OF. Siani flattened his bat path and made a bit more contact in 2024, especially to close out the season in the Arizona Fall League, where he showed solid plate skills and strong center field defense. The 2019 supplemental first-rounder was left off the 40-man roster and unprotected ahead of the Rule 5 Draft for the second year in a row. If he can carry over his gains into 2025, Siani could become a depth option in a fairly-light Pirates outfielder depth chart.
38. Shawn Ross, C. Ross has a fascinating story. The Pirates signed him in 2022 as an infielder out of independent ball and converted him to catching. Ross’ age and hit tool are concerns—he struck out 35.2% of the time at High-A in his age-24 season—but he also has huge raw power, solid athleticism behind the plate and a plus throwing arm.
39. Eddie Rynders, SS/3B. The Pirates are excited about Rynders, who they plucked out of the Wisconsin prep ranks in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. He’s a physical lefthanded hitter with good size at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds, plus raw power and a strong arm. He’s a fringy hitter and runner who is likely to move over to third base as he continues to fill out.
40. Jaden Woods, LHP. A 2023 seventh-round pick out of Georgia, Woods split 2024 between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona while striking out nearly 28% of batters he faced. The lefthander relies primarily on his mid-90s fastball and a low-80s bullet slider thrown from decent extension. He projects as a future seventh or eighth-inning reliever out of the bullpen.
