Before 2025, the Pirates system faced a significant issue: a lack of impactful hitting prospects. However, Esmerlyn Valdez has emerged as a talented player worth watching.
Under the general management of Ben Cherington, the Pirates have successfully developed talented arms throughout the system. Until this season, they had not seen the same results with their offensive talent.
Prior to the 2025 season, the biggest question facing the Pirates' system was their lack of impactful hitting prospects, with most of their top-end talent being pitchers. This changed during the season, with their offensive prospects making significant progress.
The Pirates' system has developed talented arms, but lacked impactful hitting prospects before 2025.
Author's summary: Pirates' system sees improvement.