After five years under General Manager Ben Cherington, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system has taken a step backwards.
When Cherington took over ahead of the 2020 season, Baseball America ranked the Pirates with the 24th overall system in the game. Baseball America’s update this past August, following the draft and trade deadline additions, had the present-day Pirates ranked 27th.
Cherington was brought in as the General Manager after the Pirates were getting little help from their minor league system in Pittsburgh. They had top prospects, but those players didn’t perform until they left the Pirates.