The Pittsburgh Pirates may have found two more pieces for the next wave of their roster, and both come with real upside. The club named right-hander Seth Hernandez its Bob Friend Pitcher of the Year and third baseman Murf Gray its Honus Wagner Player of the Year after strong 2026 seasons that pushed each one closer to the majors.
Hernandez, the sixth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Corona High School in Corona, Calif., wasted no time proving the Pirates got it right. At Single-A Bradenton, he was nearly untouchable, going 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in six starts over 28 innings. He struck out 50, walked seven, allowed a .135 batting average against and posted a 0.71 WHIP.
That performance earned him a promotion to High-A Greensboro on May 14, where the tests got tougher. The 20-year-old still held his own, finishing 3-1 in 12 starts with a 3.33 ERA over 46 innings. He struck out 68, walked 24, held hitters to a .209 average and posted a 1.26 WHIP.
His season ended in late July because of a left oblique strain, but the injury is not considered a major one. More importantly for Pittsburgh, Hernandez flashed the kind of stuff that makes him look like a fast-rising arm.
He works with a fastball that sits close to 100 mph and backs it up with a “parachute” changeup, a slider in the 90 mph range and, at times, a curveball. That mix, along with his feel for it, is a big reason he stands out.
Before the injury, he had 118 strikeouts, second-most in the minor leagues.
He is expected to face bigger challenges in 2027, especially once he reaches Double-A, but the path is clear if he stays healthy. Hernandez could be on track to push toward the Pirates’ rotation by 2028.
Gray’s rise was just as eye-catching, only in a different way. The Pirates took him 73rd overall out of Fresno State, and he responded by becoming the organization’s best minor league hitter in 2026. He moved through three levels, starting in Single-A and ending the year at Double-A during the final two months.
Across 126 games, Gray hit .305/.402/.567 with a .969 OPS. He totaled 143 hits, 27 doubles, 32 home runs and 97 RBI, while leading all Pirates minor leaguers in hits, home runs, RBI, extra-base hits with 59 and total bases with 266.
The power jumps off the page. Gray hit nine home runs at Single-A, nine more at Double-A Altoona and 15 at High-A.
That kind of production, especially in his first professional season, is why he has already turned himself into a top 100 prospect. The Pirates have not found a long-term answer at third base since moving on from Ke’Bryan Hayes at the 2025 deadline, and Gray could eventually fill that opening.
A shot to make the Pirates at some point in 2027 is not out of the question. If he keeps raking the way he did in 2026 and carries that production into Triple-A Indianapolis, the organization will have a difficult call on its hands.
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