The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects, which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile, ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
Even after the promotions of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones in 2024, the Buccos have a talent-rich system headlined by Bubba Chandler and 2024 first-rounder Konnor Griffin. The Pirates may not be in their competitive window now, but it won’t be long before they’re raising the Jolly Roger!
Notable Prospect Promotions and News
- The #1 prospect in baseball has a new home, as Konnor Griffin is now playing for Double-A Altoona, his third level this season. Still just 19, the 6’4″ shortstop has completely dominated at every level, generating a 166 wRC+ in 117 games this season. Griffin has a slash line of .330/.416/.528 with 46 extra-base hits, including 20 homers, as well as 112 runs scored, 90 RBIs, and 65 steals. With a dynamic blend of elite athleticism, power, speed, and baseball IQ, Griffin has gone from the 9th overall pick in the 2024 Draft to the top of prospect rankings across the industry. It’s within reason that Griffin will reach the Majors not long after his 20th birthday next April.
- After a long, painful season in Triple-A, the Pirates finally freed Bubba Chandler and promoted him to the Majors on August 20th. Chandler had an uninspiring season in the Minors, posting a 4.05 ERA in 100 innings, although you have to feel for the guy, as he should have been called up very early in 2025. Chandler worked in a bulk relief role in his first three MLB appearances, but got a start against the Dodgers late last week. His results have been mixed as a pro. Chandler has tossed 14 2/3 innings with the Pirates, which has yielded a 7.36 ERA, including nine earned runs in the aforementioned start against LA. The good news is that he’s issued just four walks with 12 strikeouts after command issues plagued his MiLB season. The bad news is that opposing hitters have a .300 average and a .831 OPS against him in the early going. Chandler will be just fine moving forward and should join Skenes atop the Pirates’ rotation entering 2026.
Notable Prospect Performances
- It’s hard to ignore what catcher Nick Cimillo just did to close out his 2025 season at Double-A Altoona. The 25-year-old backstop mashed in August, belting 11 homers with 23 RBI in only 25 games, including two multi-homer games to open and close the month. Overall, Cimillo hit as many homers in August as he did in his first season as a pro (2023) and over half of his season-long total this year. I don’t think there is anything actionable with Cimillo, although the Pirates don’t have a catcher of the future in their system. If the power surge continues, he could push his way into the Majors at some point in 2026.
