PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have exciting prospects, but some of them didn't help their case in 2026.
The Pirates farm system contains some great future talents: three top 100 prospects, right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, outfielder Edward Florentino and third baseman Murf Gray
It also has players who have previously been seen as a huge part of the future, but are in difficult spots at this point in time.
The Pirates will hope these prospects can turn it around, but poor showings in 2026 make it harder for that reality to come true.
Four Pirates Prospects Whose Stock Dropped in 2026
No. 1: 2B Termarr Johnson
One Pirates prospect who needed a strong 2026 and didn't have one was second baseman Termarr Johnson.
Johnson was poor for Triple-A Indianapolis, batting .199/.336/.319 for an OPS of .655 in 96 games, with 66 hits, 14 doubles, eight home runs, 37 RBI and 68 walks to 104 strikeouts.
Making matters worse for Johnson was that he suffered tears to his ACL and LCL after tripping near first base on Aug. 8, needing pre-op surgery as a left knee ACL reconstruction and an LCL procedure, ending his season and putting 2027 into doubt.
Johnson was terrible to start the season, hitting .167/.284/.215 for an OPS of .499, making him one of the worst batters in the International League.
The only encouraging thing for Johnson was that he hit better June onward, .223/.373/.399 for an OPS of .772, but this injury is a big setback for the 22-year-old.
Johnson fell out of the top 100 prospects list back in 2025, and he is down to 19th per MLB Pipeline and 20th per Baseball America of the top 30 Pirates prospects.
The Pirates took Johnson fourth overall in 2022, but it's not looking like he'll live up to the high hopes they had for him four years ago.
No. 2: RHP Thomas Harrington
There weren't many prospects more exciting than Thomas Harrington coming into the 2025 season, who had a strong Spring Training and made his MLB debut in April.
Harrington struggled with the Pirates, posting a 15.58 ERA over three appearances that year and didn't play at all with them in 2026.
Triple-A has also posed problems for Harrington, who hasn't pitched well at the level in the past two years.
Harrington posted a 7-9 record in 20 starts and 21 appearances in 2025, with a 5.34 ERA over 96 innings pitched, 90 strikeouts to 33 walks, a .251 BAA and a 1.31 WHIP.
He then put up a 2-7 record in 14 starts and 33 appearances, a 6.02 ERA over 101.2 innings pitched, 99 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .283 BAA and a 1.55 WHIP.
Harrington, like Johnson, was a top 100 prospect in 2025, but he's fallen off both that list and the Pirates' top 30 by the end of 2026.
One big issue for Harrington is that he isn't going to overpower hitters with his stuff, so he needs to rely on using his vast arsenal to take advantage of them.
Harrington needs to get back on track for 2027, as the Pirates would love to have the 36th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft deliver on his full potential.
No. 3: RHP Zander Mueth
Another pitcher who had hype around him heading into 2025 was Zander Mueth, who had just finished a strong 2024 season.
Mueth has since struggled, mostly with staying on the mound, pitching just 55.1 innings since the start of last season.
He's not pitched well either, posting a 7.36 ERA over 22 innings and 10 starts for Single-A Bradenton in 2025, 28 strikeouts to 25 walks, a .259 BAA and a 2.14 WHIP.
Mueth had his issues again in 2026, with a 0-3 record in nine starts and 13 appearances at Single-A, 33 walks to 28 strikeouts, a .283 BAA and a 2.07 WHIP.
Shoulder and oblique issues landed Mueth on the injured list four times in the past two seasons and have hindered his development and knocked him off the Pirates' top 30 list.
Mueth is pitching in the Arizona Fall League, and a transition to the bullpen that he made late this season could help him regain form and give him a new role for the future.
He must stay healthy to achieve this, and a strong 2027 season could get him shooting right back up the prospect rankings.
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