Pirates Get Timeline Update on Seth Hernandez Making MLB Debut

(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had to make a lot of tough decisions over the past few years, and it sounds like the front office will have to do so once again with right-hander Seth Hernandez.

Hernandez was one of the top pitching prospects in the draft a year ago and has absolutely dominated professional hitters in the very early stages of his career. However, the early stages part is where we run into some problems here, as he's only 19 years old and has barely thrown at the highest level.

Despite that reality, some Pirates fans believe he deserves a chance to play at the highest level, though that was recently somewhat shut down by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with the outlet stating that it's very unlikely for him to be on the big league roster even next season.

“From a purely competitive standpoint, Hernandez has looked too good for the FSL. That’s a great sign for the 19-year-old, who was selected out of Corona High School in California at No. 6 overall last year, but it’s also not the only goal. Hernandez’s primary goal for this season is both to stay healthy and to build off of the 53 ⅓ innings he threw at Corona last year…

“My opinion: Most 19-year-olds drafted out of high school don’t dominate as early as Hernandez and Konnor Griffin did, but Hernandez, as a pitcher, must be treated differently than Griffin. He has too bright a future for the Pirates to rush him through the minors. He’s not going to be in the majors this season, and in my opinion, shouldn’t even be under consideration to start in the major league rotation next year, regardless of how good he is this year,” Colin Beazley of the Post-Gazette wrote.

Even at 20 years old next year, it would be a bit surprising to see the right-hander around the big league team. That isn't due to him not being good enough to play, but if the Pirates' rotation is somewhat set, there really isn't a big need for him.

I'm not saying Hernandez couldn't be a massive addition for this organization right now and in the future, but there's also a bit of worry about bringing up young guys and risking their confidence if they don't get things going early on.