Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2025 first-round pick Seth Hernandez takes front and center stage when any talk of the 2025 draft class comes up, and rightfully so. Hernandez has allowed just one earned run, four hits, and five walks and has gotten 32 batters down on strikes throughout his first 17 innings of his pro career. However, he isn’t the only Pirates draft pick who is starting their career off on a high note. They have a handful of other 2025 draftees doing well.
The Pirates selected Murf Gray with their second-round competitive balance pick. The corner infielder was selected from Fresno State, where he batted .324/.398/.639 with 18 home runs throughout his final 279 plate appearances of his college career. Gray struck out just 10.8% of the time with an 8.2% walk rate. The corner infield prospect has only continued to mash baseballs heading into pro ball.
Gray has appeared in 18 games with 81 plate appearances thus far at A-Ball Bradenton. In that time, he is hitting .348/.425/.565 with a .463 wOBA, and 173 wRC+. Gray has had no problems hitting for power or making contact. His contact rate comes in at a healthy 78.1% mark, and he has an 11.1% barrel percentage with three home runs. The only downside in his performance thus far is his 6.2% walk rate. Gray may need to sharpen his approach and swing outside the zone less frequently, but he has the contact ability and power to be a potential future slugger.
The Pirates’ next pick after Murf Gray was third-rounder Easton Carmichael. The young backstop impressed during his final year at the University of Oklahoma. Throughout 274 plate appearances, Carmichael slashed .329/.498/.613, and went yard 17 times. He struck out just 15.7% of the time, and drew a free pass in 9.1% of his trips to the plate. Carmichael appeared in 14 games at High-A Greensboro late into the 2025 season and returned there to kick off 2026.
While Carmichael struggled in those 14 games with a 10 wRC+, he’s looked much better to start 2026. He is hitting .283/.348/.450 with a .361 wOBA, and 108 wRC+ over 66 plate appearances. His strikeout rate sits at a strong 12.1% mark, and he is making contact 80% of the time. His walk rate has remained steady at 9.1%. Carmichael has also hit a pair of home runs. He has a well-rounded profile: MLB Pipeline did not grade any of his tools lower than 45, and none were over 50 on the 20-80 scale. He is an athletic catcher who is on the upswing when it comes to defense, catching 40.9% of would-be base stealers so far this year.
Matt King
Matt King was a senior draft pick out of Arizona State. King hit for a ton of contact throughout college. Prior to getting drafted in the 10th round, King hit .403/.463/.593 with seven home runs over 250 plate appearances. He struck out just 8% of the time and drew walks at the same rate.
King played in 11 games between A-Ball Bradenton and High-A Greensboro last year and struggled in the small sample. However, he is hitting .290/.478/.290 with a 129 wRC+ throughout his first 47 plate appearances of 2026. King has continued to avoid strikeouts like the plague. His K% clocks in at just 8.5%, and his contact rate sits at 86.1%. King has drawn plenty of free passes, with an impressive 19.1% walk rate. He has started games at second base, third base, and shortstop.
Eddie King was the Pirates’ 16th-round pick. Taken out of the University of Louisville, King came off two straight seasons with at least a dozen home runs. During his last season at Louisville, King batted .367/.435/.750 while going yard 17 times over 224 plate appearances. He went down on strikes 17% of the time, but his isolated slugging percentage was approaching .400, clocking in at an impressive .383 mark.
King has played in 16 games and has stepped to the dish 66 times so far this season. In that time, he has hit .304/.385/.464 with a .403 wOBA and a 138 wRC+. The outfield prospect has gone yard twice so far and has drawn walks at a 10.6% rate.
