Pirates Top Prospects No. 6: Axiel Plaz an All-Star in High-A

Axiel Plaz was ranked as the Pittsburgh Pirates' No. 6 prospect by Pittsburgh Baseball Now after an impressive 2026 campaign. The 21-year-old spent the entire season with High-A Greensboro and earned South Atlantic League All-Star honors. Plaz slashed .305/.389/.513 with 20 doubles, 18 home runs, and 74 RBIs in 94 games, finishing third in Pittsburgh's minor-league system in batting average.

Plaz demonstrated significant growth at the plate by cutting his strikeout rate down to 17.2%. Defensively, he played 56 games at catcher, posting a career-best 37% caught stealing rate alongside a .980 fielding percentage. Danny Demilio notes there is optimism that Plaz will start next season with Double-A Altoona.