Pirates Prospect Update: Who is the shortstop of the future?

Maybe they’ll have Oneil Cruz on the mound next. Nothing surprises me about this team anymore.

The Pittsburgh Pirates shocked everyone when they decided to move shortstop Oneil Cruz to centerfield… suddenly and with the season nearing its end. At this point in the season, the team still has Nick Gonzales and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to play short in the meantime, but at some point, the team has to decide what they’re going to do longterm. I love the games of Gonzales and IKF, but I don’t know that either one of them will be around for an extended period of time, especially if the team goes through another rebuild.

With that in mind there are plenty of prospects in the Pirates’ system that could possibly have the shortstop of the future developing in the Minor Leagues.

Rookie prospect Konnor Griffin has yet to see any action in the professional ranks, but as the first high schooler drafted in 2024, he certainly has plenty of hype behind him. Experts are suggesting that he could slide to the outfield because of his plus athleticism and strong arm, but he has the skills to compete for a spot at short as well. Termarr Johnson is also one of the top defenders but has spent a majority of his playing time at second base, and given that that position is also going through some turnover, he’ll likely stay at his natural position.

Mitch Jebb only has two Minor League seasons under his belt, but he was a three-year starter at Michigan State, and carrying a .252 batting average through his first full season with Greensboro is encouraging. Jebb is already 22 though, and with several more seasons in the Minors likely in-store, maybe the team will look to rookie Wyatt Sanford who, at just 18-years old, has been touted as one of the best defenders at the position in this year’s high school class.

Yordany De Los Santos was signed by the team in 2022 and certainly has a lot of raw potential, but has had a disappointingly average year with Bradenton this season and likely won’t make it to the big leagues as a shortstop. Jack Brannigan is an interesting prospect who played third base and pitched in relief while attending Notre Dame, but has played all around the infield since being drafted. With Greensboro he nearly had a 20-20 season, and has showed that his arm strength helps translate to any position in the infield and has shown he has the tools to play short.

The addition of Tsung-Che Cheng showed the Pirates investing more into the Asian amateur market, and he had great success when he was called up to Greensboro, but has put up just average numbers with Double-A Altoona. Even still, he has shown in the past to have the tools to succeed at the next level, and he is at least one step closer than several of the other prospects, given that he’s already playing with the Curve.

Pittsburgh should invite several of these prospects to big league camp in the spring as there is so much talent to evaluate for a position in need of a fresh face. With all the new ways that Minor League prospects are involved at Spring Training with opportunities like the Spring Breakout showcase, one player may emerge as a frontrunner for the future of the position.