MLB’s Spring Breakout series starts on March 19th. The Pittsburgh Pirates will play their Spring Breakout game against the Detroit Tigers on the 20th. All rosters have been announced, and the Bucs are sending many top prospects to the game. Since the game will also have Statcast data, it will be an interesting event to follow. With that being said, there are multiple players worth watching, and not just because they’re top prospects in the Pirates’ system.
Seth Hernandez
Seth Hernandez was the Pirates’ 2025 first round pick. Heading into the draft, he was one of the most highly touted high school arms of all-time. He received comparisons to former All-Star right-hander Josh Beckett, and Cincinnati Reds’ ace Hunter Greene. Hernandez was ranked as a top three draft prospect by MLB Pipeline (#3) and Baseball America (#2), but fell to the Pirates’ pick at #6.
Hernandez’s pitch mix is very impressive. He sits mid-to-upper-90s, and can even hit triple-digits. Meanwhile, his slider comes in with about 3,000 RPM of spin. Neither are his best offerings either. That would be his change-up, which looks like a plus-plus offering. On top of that, he has an above-average curveball. Spring Breakout will be Hernandez’s first official work against professional-level competition. The fact we’ll also get official Statcast readings of his stuff will make his Spring Breakout showing even more important to watch.
Yonleg Gaentano
Yonleg Gaento was one of the best performing pitchers in the Pirates’ minor league system in 2025. The 20-year-old right-hander pitched 29 innings in the Dominican Summer League last year, working to a 0.93 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and 0.90 WHIP. Gaentano struck out over a third of opponents, with a 34.2% K%, and only walked 7.9% of batters faced. He also induced ground balls nearly 60% of the time (59.7% GB%), and didn’t allow a single home run.
Gaentano’s performance earned him the Pirates’ Rookie-Level Pitcher of the Year Award. The right-hander worked as both a starter and reliever, making 13 total appearances with three of them being starts. He is a converted shortstop, making him a very athletic pitching prospect. He will be someone worth watching to get Statcast data on.
Callan Moss
Callan Moss was one of the two players from the Kansas City Royals the Bucs got back for Bailey Falter. At the time, the first base prospect was hitting .270/.372/.417 with a .372 wOBA, and 126 wRC+ in 393 plate appearances for the Royals’ High-A affiliate. Moss only had seven home runs, but walked at a healthy 13.5% rate. He also struck out at a 22.1% rate.
Moss then exploded onto the scene at High-A Greensboro. He slashed .339/.422/.571 with a 184 wRC+. It only took him 128 plate appearances to go yard six times. While he maintained a similar 22.7% K%, his walk rate took a step back to 9.4%. However, his ISO rising by nearly 100 points from .148 with the Royals’ High-A team to .232 with the Pirates’ High-A team offset any concerns about his decrease in walk rate.
Jhostynxon Garcia
Jhostynxon Garcia was one of the Pirates’ many offseason acquisitions this winter. Most of his 2025 season was spent in the Boston Red Sox’s minor league system. In 489 plate appearances, The Password hit .267/.340/.470 with 21 home runs. Garcia walked 9.2% of the time, with a 26.8% strikeout percentage. Overall, Garcia owned a .360 wOBA, and 116 wRC+. The young outfielder also made his MLB debut, and appeared in parts of five games.
Garcia is making a bid to start the year in the Major Leagues. So far, it’s gone about as well as he could have hoped for and then some. Garcia has stepped to the plate 18 times in Spring Training, racking up eight hits. One of his hits was a home run. He has also walked three times and has struck out just twice. A good showing in the Spring Breakout game could improve his chances of making the Opening Day roster even better.
Khristian Curtis
Khristian Curtis is one of the Pirates’ many talented pitching prospects. However, he flies under the radar more than others. Last year, Curtis put up a 3.90 ERA, struck out 25.1% of opponents, and had a respectable 9.7% walk rate over 110.2 innings pitched. Most of Curtis’ season was spent at High-A Greensboro. However, he did make his Double-A Altoona debut at the end of the season. He only pitched in one game, but fired off two perfect frames with three strikeouts.
Curtis throws hard for a starter, sitting mid-90s, and topping out at 99 MPH. It is a plus pitch, but far from his only usable offering. Baseball America projects his slider, cutter, and change-up as 55-grade offerings. His ‘worst’ pitch is his curveball, but even that is still seen as an average offering. Curtis has had inconsistent control at times, but had just a 6.9% BB% from the start of July through the end of the season. Like Hernandez and Gaentano, it will be interesting to get Statcast data on Curtis in Spring Breakout.
