The Pittsburgh Pirates finished with a top-15 farm system in baseball after opening up the year as the preseason third-best farm system in Major League Baseball. Throughout their minor league ranks there were several standout players and names to be looking for as their careers progress.
Triple-A Indianapolis
Ronny Simon was named the Indianapolis Indians official team MVP for the 2026 season as he was one of the best hitters in the International League. He ranked first in batting average (.334), hits (141), second in doubles
(33), on-base percentage (.426), sixth in OPS (.898), stolen bases (35) and tenth in total bases (199). Simon was an all-around star for the Indians as he appeared in 115 games for the club before a brief stint with the Pirates to end his 2026 season at the Major League level.
Pitcher Beau Burrows was also recognized as the team’s pitcher of the year. The team’s closer led the league in saves with 14. He also had a dominant 16-game stretch where he had a 0.83 ERA and 23 strikeouts. He also converted all nine of his save opportunities in that span.
Double-A Altoona
The Altoona Curve named Lonnie White Jr. their team MVP this season. White Jr. hit 26 homers in 2026, 19 of them being with Altoona. It’s the most home runs he’s hit in a single season in his career and it ranked third among Pirates’ prospects in 2026. He also had a career high 67 RBIs and had a team leading 23-game on base streak.
Connor Wietgrefe took home pitcher of the year honors for the Curve as he was one of their best arms all season long. He had a 3.51 ERA with Altoona this year and had a 4-1 record with the club before being promoted to Indianapolis. Wietgrefe won four straight starts with the Curve and finished his year with 127 strikeouts. He finished his time in Altoona with 18 straight scoreless innings.
High-A Greensboro
Very few players at the lower minor league levels within the Pirates’ organization were as exciting in 2026 as Wyatt Sanford. The 20-year old shortstop played 72 games with the Greensboro Grasshoppers and proved to be a dynamic blend of speed, athleticism and power. He hit 17 home runs with the club (19 overall) and had 33 stolen bases. He finished the year with a .292/.423/.551 slash line and had a .974 OPS. Sanford was invited to play for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall league.
Low-A Bradenton
In just his first season since being drafted sixth overall by the Pirates a year ago, Seth Hernandez has come on the scene firing on all cylinders. Hernandez was named the Florida State League player of the year after just six games with Bradenton before being promoted to Greensboro in May. He recorded 50 strikeouts in 28 innings, then finished the year with 118 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA over 74 innings across both levels. With the Marauders he had an incredibly low 0.96 ERA, a 3-0 record and only allowed three earned runs during his time in the FSL.
Hernandez has an incredibly high ceiling. He’s the ninth overall prospect in baseball and is the top prospect in the Pirates’ system.
