Quinn Priester

Priester had strong results throughout his climb through the Pirates' minor-league system, primarily based on his slider and curveball. That came to a crashing halt upon his promotion to the majors in mid-July of 2023, with the end result being a 7.74 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 50 innings. He curiously threw his curveball only 13 percent of the time. While he relied more heavily on his slider (23 percent), the results were a mixed bag as it was hit hard (.659) but did generate whiffs. The real opportunity for a step forward comes from his fastball, which has been a red flag in his profile for those who rely more heavily on data for prospect evaluation. Those concerns came to fruition in Pittsburgh, as his four-seamer was tagged for a .818 slugging percentage by opposing hitters. During the offseason, teammate Henry Davis disclosed that Priester revamped his mechanics to regain velocity that he lost in 2023. In order for Priester to get anywhere near reaching the potential his prospect pedigree implies, he'll need the pitch to be more effective, giving him the ability to play his more advanced offspeed and breaking stuff off the heater. Spring training should give us a hint of whether the offseason changes were effective, which will also dictate potential interest once draft season heats up.