{"id":121485,"date":"2026-05-08T11:31:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=121485"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:31:04","slug":"121485","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/08\/121485\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Pirates Prospects Most Likely to Fuel Continued Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a promising start to their 2026 campaign. At the time of writing this, they are 21-17 with a +21 run differential. They\u2019ve started May off with a bang, with five wins in their first six games of the new month. The Pirates still have a top-end farm system. They have a handful of top prospects that could help them maintain their early-season success as the year goes on. These three in particular have the strongest chance of making an immediate impact in the very near future.<\/p>\n

3 Pirates prospects that will help sustain their early season success<\/h1>\n

Wilber Dotel<\/h2>\n
\"ittsburgh
Apr 21, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Wilber Dotel (66) pitches during the game between the Rangers and the Pirates at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wilber Dotel<\/a> enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign. He tallied a career-high 125.1 innings at Double-A Altoona while working to a 4.15 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. Dotel struggled to limit free passes in 2024, with a 11.6% BB%. However, he cut that down to just 8% last season. On top of that, Dotel upped his strikeout percentage from 22.8% to 24.5%. That earned Dotel a top ten spot on Baseball America\u2019s top 30 Pirates prospect list<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Wilber Dotel, the @Pirates<\/a>‘ No. 12 prospect, secures his first MLB K on a 98.6 mph heater! pic.twitter.com\/k8kgklR7oO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n