MLB Pipeline gave their updated farm system rankings earlier this week. The Pittsburgh Pirates were ranked 15th overall in the 2019 mid-season ranks, then remained in that same spot in the preseason update this year. The new rankings, which includes 2020 draft picks, has the Pirates ranked 16th overall.
The Pirates currently have three players in the top 100 for Pipeline. First round pick Nick Gonzales ranks 39th. He’s followed by Ke’Bryan Hayes at #44 and Oneil Cruz in the 68th spot. In the preseason rankings, Mitch Keller was the best prospect, so he just switched spots with Gonzales, which is why the team ranking basically stayed the same.
Baseball America isn’t as kind to the Pirates. They have them ranked 22nd overall, one spot up from their preseason rankings.
