In the System: Swaggerty works on approach while awaiting second call

Coming into this season, it was clear the Pirates were going to have plenty of playing time up for grabs in the outfield. That was partially by design after adding three outfield prospects to the 40 man roster in the offseason with several others close to their own chance.

As the year has progressed, most those prospects have gotten an extended look in the majors. Jack Suwinski, Cal Mitchell, Bligh Madris all received at least 100 major-league plate appearances. Canaan Smith-Njigba has technically been on the major-league roster for most of the year, though his playing opportunity was cut short by a wrist injury in just his third game.

Then there is Travis Swaggerty. The 2018 first-round pick seemed like a candidate to get an extended look too, but outside of a five game cup of coffee in June, he's spent the year with Class AAA Indianapolis.

“It’s out of my control, and I live by, ‘control what you can control,’ ” Swaggerty told me over the phone Monday.

Swaggerty has certainly played well enough to warrant another, longer call to the majors. In 363 plate appearances, he is slashing .264/.354/.425 with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases, all while getting reps at all three outfield positions. Seven of those stolen bases have come in August, where he has posted a .417 on-base percentage.

“I think the results of the game speak for themselves,” Swaggerty said. “I feel like I’ve been pretty consistent lately… I feel like I’ve got a good thing going with the hitting guys here, and I’m trying to build off of it everyday.”

When the Pirates optioned him back to the minors, Derek Shelton and Ben Cherington didn't give many specific points of what they were looking for him to work on for him to get a longer call up. They mentioned bunting, wanting the staff to feel comfortable if they give him a sign to square up. Outside of that, it was continuing to work on his approach at the plate.

“The swing plays,” Swaggerty said. “There’s nothing glaring that’s mechanically wrong. It’s more so the mental side of it.”

Part of his recent success has come from Swaggerty being more selective at the plate. He has adopted a willingness to sit on a pitch in an at-bat, knowing that more pitchers at this level have three and four pitch approaches. He doesn't do it every at-bat, but being more selective has led to steadier results.

“I’m learning how to do that, and I think at the highest level, it will be useful to me," he said.

That next opportunity at the highest level will come some day, very possibly in 2022. Until that call, Swaggerty is not asking himself where his opportunity is, or projecting it onto the other rookie outfielders who have gotten a longer look before him.

“I’m happy for them because they’re in the big leagues,” Swaggerty said. “These guys are my friends, more so than teammates. I care about their mental, physical well-being over them playing over me.”

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: .268/.399/.483, 7 HR, 31 RBI

Per a source, Davis will be returning to game action Tuesday as the designated hitter for Class Low-A Bradenton. There was a lot of optimism in the system that he would return to Altoona before the end of the season, and barring a setback, that seems like a very safe bet. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 20 prospect in baseball during their midseason update.

2. TERMARR JOHNSON (2)

Position: Shortstop
Affiliate: Florida Complex League
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2022
Age: 18
Stats: .100/.280/.150, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Johnson is getting into the swing of things in the Complex League, showing some good patience at the plate (five walks in eight games), ability on the base paths (two steals) and defensive skills. And yeah, he was still ranked as the top hitter in this draft class. Pipeline ranked him at No. 30 on their updated list.

3. QUINN PRIESTER (3)

Position: Right-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2019
Age: 21
Stats: 1-3, 3.05 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 56 K, 16 BB

Priester is on a roll, going seven innings in his most recent start with Altoona. However, there haven't been any discussions yet to see if he is ready to take the next step to Indianapolis, partially because he got a late start to the season because of his oblique injury.

"We think he’s in a good spot," Cherington said this week.."...He’s got a good relationship there with [pitching coach] Drew Benes. I’m not sure there’s really any urgency. We think he’s getting something out of his time there, so we’ll see."

He is the No. 47 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

4. MIKE BURROWS (4)

Position: Right-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Class AAA Indianapolis
Acquired: Pirates' 11th-round pick, 2018
Age: 22
Stats: 5-5, 3.53 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 109 K, 29 BB

After a slow start in AAA, Burrows seems to have found his groove, including tossing five shutout innings with six strikeouts in his most recent start. For someone who had control issues earlier in his professional career, he's allowed more than one walk in just three of his 10 outings with Indianapolis, and more than two just once. Mix in swing and miss stuff and he could be a part of the Pirates' rotation at some point in 2023.

5. LIOVER PEGUERO (5)

Position: Shortstop
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Trade with Diamondbacks, 2020
Age: 21
Stats: .262/.300/.392, 8 HR, 46 RBI

It was a rainy week in Altoona, but Peguero did string a couple of multi-hit performances, a positive sign even if his season slash line has been mostly stagnant of late. One positive from him offensively this year: He is 22/26 on stolen base attempts.

He is No. 65 on MLB Pipeline's top 100.

6. NICK GONZALES (6)

Position: Second base
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Pirates' first-round pick, 2020
Age: 23
Stats: .262/.378/.401, 4 HR, 20 RBIs

Welcome back, Nick Gonzales. The 23-year-old hit .438 with three doubles -- including a walk-off double -- in his first full week back with the Curve.

Even after a tough, injury-filled year, Gonzales hung on to the end of MLB Pipeline's top prospects list, ranking in at No. 99.

7. ENDY RODRIGUEZ (8)

Position: Catcher, Utility
Affiliate: Class AA Altoona
Acquired: Trade with Mets/Padres, 2021
Age: 22
Stats: .309/.398/.555, 18 HR, 63 RBI

Just another ho-hum week for the hottest hitter in the Pirates' system. He hit .438 with three doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored in just four games. 

He's going to be the organization's minor-league player of the year. Who else could it possibly be?

8. ANTHONY SOLOMETO (7)

Position: Left-handed pitcher
Affiliate: Low Class A Bradenton
Acquired: Pirates' second-round pick, 2021
Age: 19
Stats: 4-0, 3.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 35 K, 11 BB

Solometo tossed five scoreless frames with four strikeouts and three walks in his most recent start. He's walked just two over his last three starts, showing some growth there after being a bit on the wild side at times in July.

9. BUBBA CHANDLER (8)

Position: Right-handed pitcher, designated hitter
Affiliate: Class Low A Bradenton
Acquired: Pirates' third-round pick, 2021
Age: 19
Pitching stats: 0-1, 2.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 49 K, 22 BB
Hitting stats: .198/.333/.374, 3 HR, 16 RBI

Chandler will pitch for the Marauders Tuesday. Him and Davis in the same lineup? Wonder when that will happen at PNC Park.

10. JI-HWAN BAE (10)

Position: Utility
Affiliate: Class AAA Indianapolis
Acquired: International free agent, 2018
Age: 22
Stats: .300/.367/.456, 8 HR, 43 RBI

Bae returned from his strained left oblique sooner than expected this week, being used as a designated hitter and picking up three hits -- including a triple -- in his return. He sat two games and was pulled early in another to make sure he is eased back into games, especially since he is forgoing a rehab assignment.