According to sources to close to The Sports Bank, Quinn Priester, the top pitching prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, will make his Major League debut next week. Currently having a very fine season with the AAA Indianapolis Indians, Priester will be called-up to start either the Monday night game against the Cleveland Guardians.
The time has come: the pride of Cary-Grove High School athletics is headed to the show.
With that in mind, we re-publish our exclusive with Quinn Priester from back on June 9. You’ll also want to check out the in-depth feature we did, for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, on his family’s storied aviation history and very successful aviation business.
And kudos to Rum Bunter, the Pirates web community on the Fan Sided network, for pointing out back in June:
“There’s a very good chance that with the lack of depth in the major leagues, Priester will make his debut sometime in June. Plus with the way service time works, it’s very likely he will surpass the supposed Super-Two date within the coming weeks.”
It is mid-July, not June, but hey, close enough.
We went to the source and found that Priester did not know, in mid-June if/when he’ll get the call to the show.
“I don’t know. It’s tough to say,” he said in an exclusive with The Sports Bank at that time.
“I just need to do my best and help the Indianapolis Indians, and if they think I can help the team win like I think I can, then that day is going to be here.”
Quinn Priester, the #18 overall pick and first prep pitcher selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, is currently ranked as the #63 overall prospect by MLB.com. The rankings also have him as the fourth highest rated prospect in Pittsburgh’s system, and the top RHP in the NL Central.
When asked about the Super Two Rule and service time requirements, the Cary-Grove high school graduate said he doesn’t get into that kind of stuff.
“I know that’s a thing, but I just play the game, I really don’t try to play GM all that much,” he said.
“I don’t know when that date is, nor do I care, I’m just having fun playing baseball, and I am really lucky to be able to do that. Ultimately, my goal is to stay in games as long as I can, to get as much experience as I can, and dominate guys as best I can.
“Ultimately, if I do those things, everything else will take care of itself, regardless of what day in the month it is.”
Thus far in 2023, with 51 1/3 innings pitched, Quinn Priester has a 4.38 ERA (which is a misleading stat so far for him, he’s actually pitched a lot better than his earned run average would indicate), 1.42 WHIP, 3.39 FIP, 23.8% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate.
But as Rum Bunter pointed out, he boasts the second highest ground ball rate (54.9%) of all Triple-A pitchers. That bodes very well for him in terms of getting to the highest level.
And good things are indeed going on at PNC Park this season.
As we write this, in mid-June, the Pirates have a winning record and sit just 1.5 games out of first in the division. Quinn Priester articulated what has been the winning formula for the Bucs this season.
“Having the veteran leadership up there with (Carlos) Santana and Cutch (Andrew McCutchen), Mitch Keller is throwing the ball extremely well, Rich Hill for veteran leadership, as a starter- I think that has made all the difference for the young guys to thrive,” he said.
“And they’ve been able to win games and compete for the division. (David) Bednar is one of the best, if not the best, closers in baseball right now.
“I think that what they’ve got going is great and it’s all due to the veterans in the clubhouse.
“Guys like Santana and McCutchen, they’ve been there and they’ve done that. They’ve won and they’ve influenced the game and influenced our guys in great ways.”
“And I’m hoping that I can feel that influence as well at some point this year, and be able to learn under them, and help the Pittsburgh Pirates win games.
He concluded: “My time will come and I just need to keep getting better and doing what I can here.”
Past Quinn Priester Exclusives
On the MLB Draft, Prep Career Etc. On His First Year in MILB On What He Learned from Kyle Hendricks
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.