The Pittsburgh Pirates have become known for their pitching talent. Their entire rotation is composed of players they drafted over the years. One of their best prospects is 2025 first-round pick Seth Hernandez, a pitcher. He’s far from their only notable pitching prospect, as left-hander Reinold Navarro is becoming one of the organization’s most intriguing prospects in 2026.
The Pirates signed Navarro out of the Dominican Republic during the 2023-2024 offseason as one of their multiple international signings. He inked a $270K bonus and immediately showed off his high-end stuff in the Dominican Summer League. In 24 innings, he had a 3.38 ERA, 31.8% strikeout rate, but walked 18.1% of opponents in the small sample size. Navarro split 2025 between the Florida Complex League and A-Ball Bradenton, where control issues continued to plague him.
Navarro opened 2026 at Bradenton once again and has pitched 14 innings. In that time, he has only allowed five earned runs, seven hits, and has nearly struck out a third of opponents with a 32.8% K%. Opponents can’t make contact against Navarro, as he has generated a 40.4% whiff rate. On the rare occasions they have made contact vs the Southpaw, they’ve only managed an 87.2 MPH exit velocity, and 4% barrel percentage. However, walks are Navarro’s weak suit, with a 26.2% BB%.
Now, there is one thing certain about Navarro: he has elite stuff. He already sits at 96-97 MPH at just 19 years old and has hit triple digits in the past. Navarro’s fastball also comes in with over 20 inches of induced vertical break. His 84-85 MPH slider is a plus offering that has induced a whiff a third of the time. Even though his upper-80s change-up is considered his worst pitch, he has the same whiff rate on it as his slider.
The obvious caveat regarding Navarro is his control. He has walked 77 batters in 70 innings, resulting in a walk percentage of 23.6%. MLB Pipeline only grades his control out at a 35 on the 20-80 scale. Baseball America is even less bullish on his ability to locate in the zone, as they only have his control projected at a 30 right now.
However, Navarro has looked slightly better in the control department recently. The Marauders have utilized Navarro out of the bullpen over his last two outings. He has pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 11 batters, and walking four. While a 16.7% BB% is still far from good, it is a lot lower than the walk rates he usually posts as a starter throughout his minor league career.
Although Navarro is certainly not a finished product, his velocity makes him one of the most interesting Pirates prospects to watch right now. He is one of just a handful of Pirates prospects who can reach back for triple-digit velocity. If his control improves even slightly if he moves to the bullpen full-time, even to a 40-grade level, he could become a devastating relief pitcher in the future.
