BRADENTON, Fla. -- After Pittsburgh graduated many of its top hitting prospects to the Majors last year, it was expected that the Pirates’ Top 30 Prospects list would be pitcher-heavy in 2024. Their farm system still ranked ninth overall on MLB Pipeline’s most recent rankings and was the only one with four pitchers in the Top 100 (No. 3 Paul Skenes, No. 62 Jared Jones, No. 82 Anthony Solometo and No. 93 Bubba Chandler).

This spring, we got to see many of those top prospects in action between Spring Training and Spring Breakout. Here are three things we learned about the pitchers:

1. Skenes has a full mix

Skenes consistently ramped up his fastball to triple digits, touching 102 mph, but everyone already knew the top pitching prospect in the game had serious heat. What was new in his spring outings was a more complete pitch mix, expanding beyond the four-seamer and slider combo he leaned on in college to incorporate his changeup, curveball and “splinker” (a sinker with some splitter action) more often.

Skenes didn’t shy away from throwing those new pitches in big spots, like starting off his much-anticipated first matchup with No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday with a curveball.

“Pitching is fun,” Skenes said after his first spring outing Feb. 29. “Blowing it by guys is fun. It gets old. Pitching and the art of it, I really love that."

2. Jones looks ready

This might have been hard to believe coming into camp, but Skenes might not be the most Major League-ready pitching prospect in the Pirates’ system. It could be Jones.

Jones dazzled this spring, ramping his fastball up to 101 mph and throwing high-spin sliders over 90 mph. Command issues hampered him at times with Triple-A Indianapolis last season, but he’s attacked the zone more in spring and allowed just two unearned runs over his 11 1/3 innings.

Bucs manager Derek Shelton said earlier this spring that Jones was one of the pitchers in competition for an Opening Day rotation spot. Even if Jones doesn’t get a job out of the gate, he should be one of the first calls the team makes when it needs help.

3. There’s depth

Unsurprisingly, Skenes was named to the All-Spring Breakout first team after he threw a perfect inning. He was joined by another Pirates pitcher who cracked the second team: Patrick Reilly, who struck out the side in his frame. Reilly is the team’s No. 23 prospect per MLB Pipeline and was taken in the fifth round of last year’s MLB Draft, and he left Spring Breakout with some more street cred.

It wasn’t just Reilly. Braxton Ashcraft (the Bucs’ No. 7 prospect) flashed big stuff, and signs point to him getting a chance as a starter. Hunter Barco (No. 14), had two terrific frames in the Spring Breakout game. Thomas Harrington (No. 6) grabbed attention in Big League camp, and Kyle Nicolas (No. 22) will get time in the Majors this season.

None of those pitchers are considered a Top 100 prospect, but each could make an impact in the coming years. They made a good impression in their first taste of MLB Spring Training or on the national stage.

Years ago, Jaclyn McKenry was flying from San Francisco to her home in Eastern Tennessee when she read an article about the owner of a new independent baseball team in Napa Valley. She loved the piece and asked her husband, Michael McKenry -- the former Pirates catcher and now analyst for SportsNet Pittsburgh -- what would happen if they one day got involved in something like that.

Recently, both felt a calling to follow through on that thought, and the pair joined the ownership group of the Johnstown Mill Rats, a collegiate wooden bat team in the Prospect League.

Michael and Jaclyn grew up in small towns and quickly took to Johnstown, which is located about 60 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. Michael has had several stops in what he lovingly calls “Baby Pittsburgh,” including playing in an All American Amateur Baseball Association tournament there in 2004 and doing an offseason Pirates CARE-a-Van in the city during his playing career. In recent years, the Mill Rats invited him to speak during their Faith Nights.

The McKenrys felt a connection to the city, but the Mill Rats were almost lost this winter. They were briefly not listed as part of the Prospect League’s website this offseason, but a change in ownership to a local group helped keep the team in place. Earlier this month, the McKenrys became part of that new group.

“Everyone was so proud of where they came from, but it also felt like it needed a big hug,” Jaclyn said. “... It was a time and a calling to love on these people.”

“The more I’ve gone down there, the more it’s like, ‘This is a no-brainer,’” Michael said. “This place needs a breath of fresh air.”

What exactly that big hug entails is still a work in progress. Michael recognizes that baseball has gotten a lot more expensive to play, especially with the rise of analytics. Every team recognizes analytical data as a tool for scouting, and Trackmans, Rapsodos and many other pieces of equipment come with a high price tag and require subscriptions. That can add up fast and leave some behind.

“People in small towns can sometimes feel forgotten about or pushed down or kicked out,” Michael said. “When you get down to the nitty-gritty, these people want to work. They want to do things right. … What’s the missing piece?”

The McKenrys want to be part of filling that missing piece. Michael is already drafting ideas to enhance the home ballpark, Sargent's Stadium at the Point, and help draw more attention to the team. But the main priority is to help develop these young athletes into better players and people.

“I want to give these kids the ability to do as much as they can to help them move closer and closer to that dream,” Michael said.

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