Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40 

Brannigan has the best college arm in the Midwest and can look like a first-rounder at times -- but it's hard to scout him on the mound. He worked just 14 2/3 innings this season, giving him 23 1/3 in three years at Notre Dame, and he prefers to play third base and wants to sign as a position player. A pro team may have to give him the opportunity to hit before trying to persuade him to become a full-time pitcher. 

Brannigan's fastball sits at 95-97 mph and reaches 100 with armside run, and he generates premium velocity with little effort. His mid-80s slider can be a wipeout pitch at times with quality depth as well as some horizontal action. He even shows some feel for a fading changeup with similar velocity, though he doesn't use it very often. 

Primarily a reliever for the Fighting Irish, Brannigan has the three-pitch mix, resilience and athleticism to make it as a starter. He'd need to improve his control and his consistency, which should happen if he focuses on pitching. A solid defender at third base with obvious arm strength, he makes contact from the right side of the plate and has the potential for average power but didn't drive the ball with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Brannigan played third base and served as a relief pitcher for three years at Notre Dame, even playing both ways during his stint in the Cape Cod League in 2021. While some scouts thought his arm strength would serve him well on a professional mound, the Pirates drafted him in the third round of the 2022 Draft to let him hit and play the infield. He played his way from Single-A Bradenton to High-A Greensboro and finished a home run shy of a 20-20 season, even though he missed a month early with a quad injury, before finishing things off with a stint in the Arizona Fall League.

The right-handed hitting infielder has some serious tools; it’s just a matter of him using them consistently. Yes, he fared well in Greensboro’s friendly park, but the underlying data on exit velocity and contact quality point to it not mattering what ballpark he’s in: Brannigan just hits the ball hard with excellent raw power when he makes contact. And that’s the issue. While he’ll draw walks, Brannigan struck out nearly 30 percent of the time in 2023 and limiting that will be the key to his offensive success.

He also has the chance to be a plus third baseman, but the Pirates’ decision to give him some time at other positions, initially at second and shortstop, but then exclusively at short in the AFL, might have changed his trajectory some. His arm that fired upper-90s fastballs from the mound works from anywhere, his hands are solid and he has plus instincts. If he can just increase his range a bit moving forward, he could end up profiling as a regular at the position, where there won’t be quite as much pressure on his bat.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

A two-way player who played third and mostly pitched out of the bullpen in three years at Notre Dame, many felt Brannigan’s future was on the mound because of a fastball that touched triple digits and a potential three-pitch mix. He preferred to hit, and the Pirates were willing to give him the opportunity to do so after taking him in the third round of the 2022 Draft and have been very encouraged by his development in that realm during his first full season of pro ball.

Focusing on being a position player only for the first time, Brannigan has already made some impressive adjustments from the right side of the plate. He has an excellent eye and draws walks while showing signs of improved contact, and if he can continue to limit his swing-and-miss, he has the chance to take off as a hitter with an ability to tap into some solid raw power more.

Branningan has shown off excellent athleticism from the hot corner and is an above-average defender at third with an arm that’s double plus. The Pirates have been so impressed with his defensive actions, he’s mixed in some second base and shortstop, with a chance to play the premium position potentially raising his value considerably.

Awards

SAL Player of the Week

Week	Team
07/14/2024
08/13/2023

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/04/2024	Greensboro Grasshoppers activated 3B Jack Brannigan from the 7-day injured list.
	07/27/2024	Greensboro Grasshoppers placed 3B Jack Brannigan on the 7-day injured list.
	06/18/2024	Greensboro Grasshoppers activated 3B Jack Brannigan from the 7-day injured list.
	06/07/2024	Greensboro Grasshoppers placed 3B Jack Brannigan on the 7-day injured list.
	03/07/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects activated 3B Jack Brannigan.
	01/30/2024	3B Jack Brannigan roster status changed by Pittsburgh Pirates.
	01/30/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster 3B Jack Brannigan to spring training.
	09/22/2023	Salt River Rafters activated 3B Jack Brannigan.
	07/21/2023	3B Jack Brannigan assigned to Greensboro Grasshoppers from Bradenton Marauders.
	07/21/2023	Greensboro Grasshoppers activated 3B Jack Brannigan.
	07/21/2023	Greensboro Grasshoppers activated 3B Jack Brannigan.
	05/18/2023	Bradenton Marauders activated 3B Jack Brannigan from the 7-day injured list.
	04/15/2023	Bradenton Marauders placed 3B Jack Brannigan on the 7-day injured list retroactive to April 14, 2023.
	03/07/2023	3B Jack Brannigan assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	03/07/2023	3B Jack Brannigan roster status changed by Pittsburgh Pirates.
	08/06/2022	TWP Jack Brannigan assigned to Bradenton Marauders from FCL Pirates.
	08/02/2022	TWP Jack Brannigan assigned to FCL Pirates.
	08/01/2022	Pittsburgh Pirates signed TWP Jack Brannigan.
	06/10/2022	RHP Jack Brannigan assigned to College Workout.
	04/22/2022	RHP Jack Brannigan, and assigned to Notre Dame Fighting Irish.