Pirates to call up top pitching prospect Priester

PITTSBURGH -- Over the past month and a half, Quinn Priester consistently provided Triple-A Indianapolis with five, six or seven innings of work every time he took the mound. On Friday evening at Werner Park, the home of the Omaha Storm Chasers, Prister’s night was over after just one frame. Priester wasn’t hurt, but after facing five batters, Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez went to his bullpen. The implication was, in retrospect, obvious.

Priester was headed to the Majors.

The Pirates will be promoting right-hander Priester to the Majors to start against the Guardians in his MLB debut on Monday, manager Derek Shelton said on Saturday before the Bucs’ 3-1 loss to the Giants.

Priester, the Pirates' No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 54 overall, had a 4.31 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 87 2/3 innings in 18 starts for Indianapolis.

“It’s a situation where he’s continuing to get better and deserves to get an opportunity at the Major League level,” Shelton said. “We’re going to be excited about that.”

Added pitching coach Oscar Marin: “We’re very happy about the opportunity that he’ll have on Monday. He’s a pitcher and we’ve all seen it and that’s what we’re expecting to see when he gets the opportunity here.”

Shelton said that the Pirates have yet to determine if Priester will be on any innings limit after pitching one inning on Friday. Priester has primarily relied on his two-seamer as his primary fastball and his slider as his primary breaking ball, followed by his four-seamer, curveball and changeup.

Priester, who represented the Pirates in the 2021 Futures Game, enters a rotation that has had a tumultuous year, the past month and a half have been especially rocky. First-time All-Star Mitch Keller, Johan Oviedo and Rich Hill have provided stability -- all three have thrown at least 100 innings this season -- but the final two spots in the rotation have featured several different characters.

JT Brubaker, Vince Velasquez and Mike Burrows -- Pittsburgh's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- are all out for the season due to injury. Roansy Contreras pitched well to begin the season, but following two-and-a-half months of struggles, the Bucs optioned the 23-year-old to the Rookie-level Florida Coast League Pirates. Luis Ortiz hasn’t consistently replicated last season’s electrifying September run and was optioned to Indianapolis last week.

It’s unclear how much run Priester will receive with the Pirates, but considering the state of Pittsburgh’s rotation, it’s not unlikely that Priester will receive an opportunity to start every five days for the rest of the season.

Priester, the 18th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, will become the latest first-rounder in recent weeks to make his Major League debut, joining Nick Gonzales (2020), Carmen Mlodzinski ('20) and Henry Davis ('21). Jared Triolo, the 72nd overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, made his debut in late June as well. He’ll be the ninth Pirate to debut this season, joining Davis, Gonzales, Mlodzinski, Triolo, Jose Hernandez, Osvaldo Bido, Cody Bolton and Drew Maggi.

A year ago, Priester, Davis, Gonzales, Mlodzinski and Triolo were all playing for Double-A Altoona. Come Monday, all five stand to collectively don the black and gold for the first time.

“I think it’s important that our development process is working, because we’re getting guys to the Major League level and we’re getting them opportunities -- some of them pretty rapidly -- which is important for us as we move forward,” Shelton said.

Added Marin: “It’s exciting [when players debut] just because the one thing you always think about is the kind of depth you have and the expectation of what you’re going to see. It’s exciting to see some of these guys, and for good reason. When they come up, they come up for a reason."