After Slow Start, Top Prospect Priester Turning Things Around in Greensboro
If you have been following some of the Pirates top prospects down in the Minor Leagues as of late, you know that most of the news hasn't been good. Pirates #1 prospect Nick Gonzales just hit the Injured List with a broken finger, and #7 prospect Travis Swaggerty is now out for the year with a dislocated shoulder. After missing out on the 2020 season due to the pandemic, this is not a promising sign for either player. However, there is some good news on the prospect front as well down in Low-A Greensboro. Quinn Priester, who started the year with a bad opener, is turning things around. In his first start, he allowed six runs, three earned, over three innings and had a 9.00 ERA. His ERA sat at 7.71 after two starts and fans were starting to worry how the off-year effected him.
However, he has turned things around over his last two starts not allowing an earned run and dropping his ERA to a more respectable 3.18 on the year. It is right in line with his career ERA of 3.19, and Preiester is slowly building up his stamina. He has gone five innings in each of his last two starts, and has struck out seven while walking two in the combined 10 innings of work. During his first professional season in 2019, Priester pitched between rookie ball and the former Class-A Short Season and went 1-1 with a 3.19 ERA over nine games, eight starts. His final start of the year in West Virginia didn't go so well, but he absolutely dominated rookie ball. Today, we look at Priester's last few starts and see what has clicked for the 20-year-old right hander.
Keeping The Opponent off the Board
After a tough start to the season for Quinn Priester, he knew he had to turn things around on the mound. His second start was a step in the right direction, as he allowed three earned runs again, this time over four innings of work to drop his ERA to 7.71. However, it was his third start of the year where he finally turned it on and looked like the top prospect the Pirates have been waiting to see. After making his first two starts of the year at home, Priester was set to go out on the road for the first time at the High-A Level. If there was one big key he was looking to improve on, it was his control numbers. In his first seven innings of work, he had allowed eight hits and five free passes for a walk rate of 20%. Even though it was only two starts, even Priester knew that that was not a recipe for success down the line.
However, he came out on fire in his third start of the year, and it was a sign that he was back to normal. He retired the first eight Hickory Crawdads that he faced, and only allowed two base runners through the first four innings of work. Where he was wild before, he was much more efficient in this outing, getting into just three three-ball counts on the night and having a strike percentage of just over 66%. When all was said and done, Priester went 5.0 innings allowing just three hits while walking one and striking out four. It was a nice rebound start for Priester as he showed not only could he pitch at the High-A level, but he could compete against this level of hitters. However, it was just one good outing, and Priester needed to show he can do it in front of the home fans.
He would get that opportunity in his next start when he took on the Wilmington Blue Rocks at First National Bank Field. It was a game of even strengths, as both teams entered at 9-9 to start the season. Once again, Priestse went to work putting together a 1-2-3 first inning and retiring five of the first six he faced. He spread out the four hits he allowed on the night, not allowing more than one base runner to reach in any inning until the fifth, when he had two on and nobody out. However, Priester showed he could work through the jam, getting two strikeouts and a groundout, to strand the runners. He ultimately went 5.0 innings in this one as well, allowing four hits while walking one and striking out three. He may not be "overpowering" hitters yet, but he is showing that he can consistently hit the strike zone, and strand runners on base when he needs to. It is a start for the 20-year-old right-hander, and he will look to continue to show some more dominance throughout the season.
Priester Moving Forward
The biggest thing we look to see from Priester is his overall development from young raw talent to Major League ready pitcher. Despite the slow start, we have already seen Priester take steps in the right direction this season, and have more command of the strike zone. Last season, he struck out just 8.8% of the batters he faced while walking 9.1% of hitters. Through four starts this season, he has already struck out 9.5% of the batters he faced, and his walk rate so far is on par with last season. What this tells me, is he is making better pitches in the zone and is getting more swings and misses this season. Priester isn't a "flamethrower", with a fastball in the mid-90s, but he is a guy who attacks the zone with good location to get batters out.
One if the biggest things for Prieste is keeping the ball down in the zone and getting hitters to hit the ball on the ground. In his four starts this year, he has lived on the high heat, getting batters to hit the ball on the ground at a 90% clip through four starts. Even last season, groundballs dominated his stat line as he got ground outs 55.4% of the time, flyballs 26.5% of the time, and lineouts 18.1% of the time. He likes to work hid high fastball up in the zone, and then augment that with his slider and his change-up. Because of this, it normally leaves batters to just roll over on pitches, and is part of why he has such a high groundball rate this season.
Priester is showing early on why you can't judge a player by a couple of appearances. His first two starts are not indicative of how his season is going to go, and likewise, his last two starts does not mean he has completely turned things around. There is still a lot for Priester to prove this season, and it is going to take some time in High-A Ball. Priester will likely make at least 10 starts with the Greensboro Grasshoppers before the Pirates even think about making a decision on his next move. If he is solid like he has been in his last couple of starts, there is a good chance that he gets promoted to Double-A before the end of the season. However, if there are bumps in the road, look for the Pirates to be cautious in his development and maybe even keep him at High-A for the rest of the 2021 season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (20-31) look for their first sweep of the 2021 season when they take on the Colorado Rockies (19-33) tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 pm. The Pirates are still waiting to name their starter while the Rockies plan to send Kyle Freeland (0-0, 2.25) to the hill. Buccos Cove will be live at PNC Park for the first time this season with full coverage of the game on our Twitter page @Buccos_Cove. You can also watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on KDKA 100.1 FM.
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