One thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have become adept at is developing pitching. The only Pirates pitchers this year who have made starts for them that were not drafted by them are Mason Montgomery and Yohan Ramirez. However, their success this year is a testament to how good they’ve gotten at developing arms. One pitching prospect rising throughout their farm system, Reinold Navarro, is making waves in the minor leagues. He could very well be a future top 100 prospect for the Bucs.
The Pirates signed Navarro out of the Dominican Republic in the 2023-2024 offseason. He struggled over 32 innings last season between the Florida Complex League and A-Ball Bradenton, posting an ERA over 5.00 (5.34) and walking over a quarter of the batters he faced (26.8% BB%). Navarro returned to Bradenton to start the 2026 season and has performed significantly better.
So far, Navarro has tallied 69.1 innings in 2026, working to the tune of a 2.60 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.40 WHIP. Batters struggle a ton to make consistent contact vs the left-hander. He has induced a 42.9% whiff rate, with just a 60% contact rate, and a 39.1% strikeout percentage. When opponents do put the bat on the ball vs Navarro, it’s rarely ever quality contact. He’s held them to just an 86.5 MPH exit velocity and 5.3% barrel rate. That has led to a 0.53 HR/9 ratio and .157 batting average against.
However, walks have still been an issue for Navarro. His BB% is 20.1%. However, that is a significant step forward from 2025 and has only improved as the season has progressed. After pitching as a swingman/long reliever through his first 11 appearances of the year, Navarro has solely pitched as a starter for his last ten games. In that span, he has cut his BB% to 14.9% while maintaining a strong 40.8% K% and a 2.23 ERA.
Navarro’s stuff easily warrants top 100 prospect consideration. His four-seam fastball is a legit elite offering. As a starter, Navarro sits 95-96 MPH and tops out at 99 MPH. On top of that, his fastball has 20+ inches of induced vertical break. So far, Navarro has only thrown two other pitches: a low-80s slider, and an upper-80s change-up.
Navarro is already ranked as the Pirates’ 12th best prospect on Baseball America. They already give his fastball a 70-grade and his slider a 60-grade. However, his change-up only receives a 40-grade. There is still plenty of time for Navarro to develop his change-up, or another pitch to add to his arsenal. He is currently just 19 and will be 20 for the entire 2027 minor league season.
The Pirates have done well developing hard-throwing pitchers with control issues while they are still in their teens. Jared Jones is a prime example. MLB Pipeline gave Jones’ control just a 40-grade in 2021. Both Navarro and Jones are listed at six feet as well. Bubba Chandler also struggled with command early in his pro career, with a 16.2% BB% in his age-19 season in 2022.
The Pirates recently promoted Navarro to the next level of the minor leagues, High-A Greensboro. Ending the season on a high note and continuing to cut down on free passes at the next level could do a lot for his prospect stock. If his command continues to trend in the right direction, he at least gives himself a floor of a late-inning reliever. However, if he does that while also improving his change-up and/or adding a fourth offering, he could be a legit starting pitcher in the future. He has plenty of time to do both, and doing either could make him a future top 100 prospect.
