Brannigan a plus shortstop thanks to time at third

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PITTSBURGH -- Jack Brannigan remembers the culture shock the first time he slid over to third base in college. A shortstop by trade, he moved to the hot corner while with Notre Dame, where he quickly saw why the position has that nickname. Everything was coming in faster, and he needed to tweak his setup and approach to make sure he was ready at a moment’s notice.

A lot has changed in the following years. Brannigan was selected by the Pirates in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and he’s risen to being one of the top hitting prospects in the Bucs’ system, with MLB Pipeline ranking him No. 11. He’s also playing more shortstop than third base now that he’s with Double-A Altoona, but that time at third has had a lingering effect.

“It really allowed me to take some things over there [to shortstop] that I didn’t have when I was younger,” Brannigan said recently. “I think as you continue in the game, you add more tools.”

Brannigan has some tools that make him an intriguing prospect, not to mention a candidate for the Pirates’ shortstop of the future. He has been one of the Pirates’ top performing Minor League hitters the past few years, hitting 19 home runs with a .914 OPS with Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro in 2023, and 18 homers with an .834 OPS last year for Greensboro.

The offensive production has dipped a bit in 2025, but he still grades out as a better than league average hitter with Altoona, slashing .226/.327/.349 with four home runs, 26 RBIs and seven stolen bases on seven attempts. He’s also showing that growth in the field, making just three errors at shortstop thus far.

To put it in layman’s terms, he finds different ways to impact the game seemingly every night.

“Not only can he impact the game offensively, he can impact the game defensively and with his legs,” Curve manager Andy Fox said. “And it’s his makeup, too. It’s another asset that’s huge … he’s the same guy every day, which gives him a chance.”

That makeup is apparent when talking to Brannigan. When talking about hitting, the discussion doesn’t just dive into the mechanics or the approach, but the behind-the-scenes work. Getting that A-swing off comes down to good swing decisions, and he can only do that if he does his homework and recognizes what his strengths are in the box.

The Pirates have implemented new technology throughout the system, both for scouting reports to help determine what a pitch shape will look like and machines that help replicate that shape during batting practice. He’s diving into that, and he’s discovering more about himself as a hitter.

“Our scouting reports have definitely evolved throughout the years,” Brannigan said. “I think there’s more data that we can see. I think that when the Pirates brought in [Major League hitting coach] Matt Hague in the offseason, that’s been a huge difference in how we evaluate fastballs and know what the fastball shape is going to look like during the game.”

There’s reason to be optimistic that growth will continue as he nears the Majors. He’s potentially not too far away. He got an invitation to Major League Spring Training this past year, and given the Pirates don’t have a clear succession plan for Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, it could create an opportunity for him in the not-so-distant future.

That’s not where his mind is at right now, though.

“It’s knowing the work I’m doing today is going to help me in the future if the opportunity presents itself,” Brannigan said. “It’s about taking it one day at a time.”