Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

If you’re a big high school left-hander who has an unusual delivery, chances are you’re going to draw some Madison Bumgarner or MacKenzie Gore comps. Solometo, the New Jersey prepster who threw well over the summer at events like the Area Code Games, has gotten both. And that’s a big reason why he was being carefully watched as the Draft approached, with solid performances in New Jersey raising his stock.

The combination of a 6-foot-3 frame and left-handedness have many scouts feeling very bullish about Solometo’s chances at the next level. With a Gore-like high kick and a Bumgarner-esque three-quarter delivery, the North Carolina recruit throws his fastball in the 90-94 mph range with good power and life. He has outstanding command of the pitch, already showing the ability to challenge right-handed hitters inside with it. His breaking ball is at its best when it’s more of a true slider, and though it can get a little too big at times and become slurvy, it still plays well off of his arm slot. He has an average changeup now, but he has the chance to have three above-average pitches in the future.

The funk in Solometo’s delivery adds a ton of deception, making his already good stuff play up even more. He repeats it well and has a good idea of how to use his stuff. After a firm jump on the map over the summer, the southpaw has really moved up boards this spring, with a chance to land in the first round.

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

A strong showing on the summer showcase circuit put Solometo on the map, and a continuation of outstanding performances back home in New Jersey during his senior year allowed him to be considered the top high school lefty in the Draft class of 2021. The Pirates were able to afford signing him away from North Carolina with an above-slot $2.8 million deal in the second round thanks to the money saved by signing Henry Davis as the No. 1 overall pick. The southpaw looks poised to give a solid return on that investment, taking a big step forward in 2023 while reaching Double-A and topping 100 innings for the first time. His stuff regressed considerably in 2024, necessitating a trip to Bradenton to work on rebuilding his velocity.

Now 6-foot-5, the improvement of Solometo’s stuff halted in 2024, but there’s hope the lefty can re-find it, all coming from an unorthodox Madison Bumgarner-like arm slot and MacKenzie Gore-like leg kick. His fastball had topped out at 95 mph last year, but was averaging around just 90 mph in 2024. At its best, it plays up with sink because of the aforementioned funk in his delivery. He has a solid mid-80s slider that has missed bats in the past, a pitch that has cutter-like action to it. He was getting more confident with his 84-mph spin-killing changeup, especially against right-handed hitters.

Solometo made some excellent adjustments during the 2023 season and saw his command and control improve markedly as the year wore on, though that too regressed in 2024. Because of the deception, his stuff plays up especially against left-handed hitters. Just 21 for all of the 2024 season, there’s time for him to hit the reset button and become a big league starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

After the Pirates saved nearly $3 million in signing Henry Davis as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 Draft, they were able to go hard after a trio of high-end high school talents, with Solometo the first selected, followed by Lonnie White and Bubba Chandler. Solometo received an over-slot bonus of $2.8 million, and the New Jersey prep standout showed off a lot of good things during his 13-outing full-season debut with Single-A Bradenton in 2022.

Because of his unorthodox delivery, Solometo has drawn comparisons to fellow lefties Madison Bumgarner (because of his arm slot) and MacKenzie Gore (due to his leg kick). He was consistently in the 90-92 mph range, touching 93 mph with his fastball last year, a pitch that plays like a plus heater with sink because of the funk and deception in his delivery. His mid-80s slider has hard cutter action to hit at its best, and he’s still learning how to perfect it, with both his fastball and breaking ball registering good spin rates. He hadn’t used his changeup much in high school, but he’s gaining feel for an 83-84 mph off-speed pitch that is a spin-killer.

More than anything pure stuff-wise, Solometo has impressed with his ability to command the baseball and knowing how to repeat his delivery while processing information quickly. He and Chandler have built a competitive bond, and they should be able to push each other towards Pittsburgh’s rotation.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

When the Pirates signed Henry Davis as the No. 1 overall pick for nearly $3 million under slot, that allowed them to be very aggressive in going after high-end high school talent in the ensuing rounds. The first opportunity came in the second round when they took Solometo, the standout New Jersey prep left-hander, and signed him away from his commitment to pitch for North Carolina by giving him $2.8 million, equivalent to late first-round money.

In high school, Solometo relied mostly on his fastball-slider combination, coming from a delivery that was a combination of Padres prospect MacKenzie Gore’s leg kick and Madison Bumgarner’s three-quarters arm slot. He’s up to 94 mph with his fastball with good life and can command it well, showing no fear in using the inner half of the plate against right-handed hitters. His breaking ball can get slurvy, but at its best, it’s a good hard slider, one that tunnels off his fastball well. He’s shown a feel for an average changeup, but hasn’t used it as much in the past.

Solometo’s already-good stuff plays up thanks to the deception that comes from his unorthodox delivery, one he repeats well, allowing him to throw a lot of strikes. There’s projection here, with the chance for him to have three above-average pitches or better, giving him the ceiling of a very good big league starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

If you’re a big high school left-hander who has an unusual delivery, chances are you’re going to draw some Madison Bumgarner or MacKenzie Gore comps. Solometo, the New Jersey prepster who threw well over the summer at events like the Area Code Games, has gotten both. And that’s a big reason why he was carefully watched as the Draft approached, with solid performances in New Jersey raising his stock and eventually landing him in the second round, where the Pirates went over slot to sign away from his North Carolina commitment for $2,797,500.

The combination of a 6-foot-3 frame and left-handedness has the Pirates feeling very bullish about Solometo’s chances at the next level. With a Gore-like high kick and a Bumgarner-esque three-quarter delivery, Solometo throws his fastball in the 90-94 mph range with good power and life. He has outstanding command of the pitch, already showing the ability to challenge right-handed hitters inside with it. His breaking ball is at its best when it’s more of a true slider, and though it can get a little too big at times and become slurvy, it still plays well off of his arm slot. He has an average changeup now, but he has the chance to have three above-average pitches in the future.

The funk in Solometo’s delivery adds a ton of deception, making his already good stuff play up even more. He repeats it well and has a good idea of how to use his stuff, giving him a much better chance of reaching his considerable ceiling. 

Awards

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023
2022

Baseball America High Class A All-Star

Year	Team
2023

MiLB Awards All-MiLB Prospect Second Team

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/08/2024	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to Altoona Curve from Bradenton Marauders.
	07/25/2024	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to Bradenton Marauders from FCL Pirates.
	07/19/2024	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to FCL Pirates from Altoona Curve.
	06/18/2024	Altoona Curve transferred LHP Anthony Solometo to the Development List.
	03/07/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects activated LHP Anthony Solometo.
	01/30/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster LHP Anthony Solometo to spring training.
	01/30/2024	LHP Anthony Solometo roster status changed by Pittsburgh Pirates.
	09/30/2023	Altoona Curve activated LHP Anthony Solometo.
	09/30/2023	Altoona Curve activated LHP Anthony Solometo.
	09/12/2023	Altoona Curve transferred LHP Anthony Solometo to the Development List.
	08/13/2023	Altoona Curve activated LHP Anthony Solometo.
	08/05/2023	Altoona Curve transferred LHP Anthony Solometo to the Development List.
	07/15/2023	Altoona Curve activated LHP Anthony Solometo.
	07/07/2023	Altoona Curve transferred LHP Anthony Solometo to the Development List.
	06/15/2023	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to Altoona Curve from Greensboro Grasshoppers.
	04/02/2023	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to Greensboro Grasshoppers from Bradenton Marauders.
	07/26/2022	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to Bradenton Marauders from FCL Pirates.
	07/16/2022	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to FCL Pirates from Bradenton Marauders.
	07/07/2022	Bradenton Marauders activated LHP Anthony Solometo from the 7-day injured list.
	06/18/2022	Bradenton Marauders placed LHP Anthony Solometo on the 7-day injured list retroactive to June 17, 2022.
	05/27/2022	LHP Anthony Solometo assigned to Bradenton Marauders from FCL Pirates.
	07/20/2021	Pittsburgh Pirates signed LHP Anthony Solometo.
	07/20/2021	LHP Anthony Solometo and assigned to FCL Pirates Gold.