Bucs' camp teeming with NRI talent battling for a spot

SARASOTA, Fla. -- If there’s one thing every Spring Training camp has in common, it’s that there are jobs up for competition. Sometimes, it’s a starting job or for a young player to make his first Opening Day roster. Other times, a non-roster invite is trying to make the team.

Jared Jones wowed last spring for the Pirates and earned a Major League job, showing that NRIs can sometimes be the most compelling players to watch in February and March. Ranging from prospects on the horizon to veterans who are looking for a Major League job, here are 13 non-roster players to keep an eye on this spring.

Top 100 pitching prospects
Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington

The addition of Andrew Heaney has made it a lot harder for either of these two to make the Opening Day team, but they’re both on the Major League radar in 2025. Chandler has blossomed into one of the top pitching prospects in the game -- ranked 15th in baseball by MLB Pipeline -- while Harrington (No. 80 overall) is one of the craftier pitchers in the system, relying on location and movement.

Top hitting prospects
Konnor Griffin, Termarr Johnson, Jack Brannigan

Not to kill the suspense, but nobody in this trio will reach the Majors in 2025, let alone be on the Opening Day roster. But for a team that needs more hitting prospects, these are three of the best in the organization.

This isn’t Johnson’s first rodeo in a Major League Spring Training, and his two-homer game against the Blue Jays was one of the highlights of last spring. Brannigan, a third-round Draft pick in 2022, is a versatile infielder who hit 18 home runs, swiped 12 bases and had an .834 OPS for High-A Greensboro in '24. Griffin is in his first Major League camp after he was taken in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft (No. 9 overall), and this will be one of the first looks of the 18-year-old in a pro setting.

“It’s been cool working with the big league team,” Griffin said. “Just trying to learn as much as I can.”

Bouncing back from injuries
Ryan Borucki, Hunter Stratton

Both pitchers have had solid results with the Pirates, but they sustained notable injuries in 2024. A left forearm/elbow injury sidelined Borucki for most of last season, and he wasn’t as sharp when he returned in September. His slider looked better in Pirate City, a potential positive sign.

Stratton ruptured the patella tendon in his left knee, but he was throwing off the mound at Pirate City. His upper half is further along than his lower half, but he’s not too far off from competing once he starts doing fielding drills.

“We’ve just got to make sure the knee is in a good spot to do everything else you have to do on the field,” general manager Ben Cherington said. “If he can check that box sometime during Spring Training, then [there's] no reason he's not part of the competition."

Who's on first?
Darick Hall, DJ Stewart, Matt Gorski

With Spencer Horwitz’s start date up in the air, there could be a roster spot and an early-season playing opportunity at first base. Stewart homered and doubled in his Pirates debut Saturday, a good first impression after a down year in 2024 (.622 OPS, compared to a .729 OPS over 327 games in his seven-year career). Hall was terrific in his 2022 debut with the Phillies (nine home runs, .804 OPS in 142 plate appearances), but he regressed in 2023 and didn’t crack the Majors last season.

Gorski has been in the system since 2019, and at 27 years old, this is a very pivotal year for him. He has some pop (23 home runs for Triple-A Indianapolis) and can play first and all three outfield spots. He’s also right-handed, which could also be a nice complement for Horwitz. But this is a make-or-break year for Gorski, and he has to make a good impression this spring. He homered in his first at-bat Saturday and added a grand slam in the ninth inning, so so far, so good.

Veteran bullpen wild cards
Carson Fulmer, Tanner Rainey, Yohan Ramirez

Here are the globetrotters trying to earn one of the bullpen jobs up for grabs. Fulmer had a 4.15 ERA over 86 2/3 innings for the Angels last season. Rainey is wild, but his slider is very hard to hit (46.3% whiff rate last season). Ramirez pitched parts of 2022 and '23 with the Pirates and undoubtedly has stuff, but he also has control issues. He pitched to a 6.20 ERA over 38 games across four teams last season.