Pirates prospect watch: Keiner Delgado impresses in field, at plate with Greensboro
Keiner Delgado
Positions: 2B/3B/SS
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 145 pounds
Level: High-A Greensboro
Notable: When the Pittsburgh Pirates shipped starter JT Brubaker to the Yankees in late March 2024, a brief delay ensued before the complete details of the trade were announced.
In addition to international signing bonus pool space, the Pirates were set to receive a player to be named later.
One day after Brubaker was dealt, Keiner Delgado, then ranked as the No. 20 prospect in the Yankees system by MLB Pipeline, was revealed to be that player.
Roughly 15 months later, Delgado, listed as the Pirates’ No. 26 prospect, has shown encouraging signs.
The 21-year-old infielder was promoted to High-A Greensboro in early April and is slashing .259/.375/.447 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 63 games.
For comparison, last year with the Bradenton Marauders, he slashed .231/.318/.347 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs.
So, across the board, Delgado is making strides at the plate, acclimating well to a higher level of minor-league competition.
A native of Guarenas, Venezuela, Delgado started in the Yankees system as a second baseman and shortstop.
Last year in Bradenton, he played exclusively shortstop, but in 2025 with Greensboro, he’s back to playing both middle infield spots as well as third base. Delgado has the highest fielding percentage (.978) at third, compared to .952 at shortstop and .946 at second.
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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