Pittsburgh Pirates: Two Unheralded Pitching Prospects Are A Treasure

Two of the most unheralded pitching prospects in baseball reside in the Steel City, or to the casual sports fans, the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. JP Massey, a 2022 collegiate draft selection, and Jun-Seok Shim, an international signee. The two pitchers are primed for big roles at the major league level assuming they fulfill the Pirates’ lofty expectations.

Massey and Shim come from two completely different backgrounds. Massey, a relatively under-the-radar prospect out of the University of Minnesota, Shim, an international signee from Korea. What both have in common is star All-Star appeal. Massey currently plays for LoA Bradenton. Shim is functioning as the ace on the Pirates complex league team.

Shim has ace-level potential. I am of the belief he is a frontline top-of-the-rotation starter. Meanwhile, Massey, at the very least, evolves into a dominant back-end RP. The duo features two of the most lethal pitches in all of the Pittsburgh system, Massey’s slider and Shim’s curve. The latter has the dominance of Kodai Senga’s, ghost fork, and Devin Williams, Airbender. Some call those pitches the most lethal in all of baseball. While no nicknames have been given to Shim’s curve yet, the opportunity is there, not only for Shim’s curve but Massey’s slider as well.

Shim’s curve is just that lethal. It features a true 12-6 break. MLB Pipeline has the pitch rated at 50 on the 20-80 scale. I’d be more than willing to place bets that Shim’s curve becomes his true bread and butter as he evolves. The curve has all the makings to be a true plus-plus pitch. In my eyes (and I am not a pro scout), the curve has an upside of 70 on the 20-80 scale. At only 18, the development of the curve is just but a minor part of the progression. That pitch already appears to be a big-league offering. Seeing such a dominant-looking curve take shape at a young age, is a great beginning to his pro career, given other pitches in his arsenal.

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On the other hand, Massey doesn’t have as defined of an offering as Shim’d curve, yet, his slider is a true work of art. It occasionally moves and acts like a sweeper. Massey might not have the upside of a frontline starter. His ceiling is that of a 4th or 5th starter, while his floor is that of a high-leverage reliever. Given the floor/ceiling, it is hard to fathom why Massey is so highly regarded in my eyes. If all goes accordingly, Massey is a guaranteed big-league arm. When you have a defined pitch, as his slider is, you will be playing in the majors. I can’t say that about many pitchers in this system. That true wipeout pitch is a big feather in his ballcap.

When it relates to Shim, he’s the more exciting prospect. While the curve is a potential ace-caliber offering, his fastball has been compared to Gerrit Cole’s. It features velo’s in the mid-90’s (with the projection of possibly hitting the upper 90’s) and great run and downward movement. Shim has a developing slider as well, however, well behind his fastball and curve.

Massey’s secondary offerings aren’t appearing to be as defined as Shim’s. What I will say, Massey does have a curve and fastball in his repertoire. The curve is nowhere near as plus as his slider, meanwhile, the fastball doesn’t have nearly the amount of run to be a dominant offering. Still, the slider will take him very far. The fastball has enough oomph to it to get him a role as a backend (and potentially elite) RP when paired with the slider.

With the Pirates on the verge of something special, keep an eye on Shim and Massey. The latter could move up the system depth chart quickly as the organization settles into him becoming a reliever. Shim, who’s thus far had success in complex ball, will likely make his way to Lo-A Bradenton before seasons end. In his case, AA Altoona is not out of the question at some point in 2024. When it relates to Massey, I could see a mid-season debut in 2024. Pittsburgh is still trying him as a starter. Once his true floor (the occasional spot start is still possible) is seen, the evolution to the Pittsburgh pen will be rapid.

Image Source:
The Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho