PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a special prospect who is working his way up to the Show in Mexican-American right-hander Seth Hernandez.
Ranked No. 1 in Pittsburgh’s farm system and sixth on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospect List, the 20-year-old out of Pomona, California—proving why he is held in such high regard during Sunday’s 2026 All-Star Futures game at Citizens Bank Park—recorded two strikeouts on velocity that topped out at 101-MPH.
Mix that dangerous speed in with a nasty changeup and Hernandez, like usual, was cooking on the bump.
“I learned the changeup pretty early, probably like eighth grade so I’ve been throwing it for a while,” Hernandez told Latino Sports next to his locker stationed in the NL All-Star Futures clubhouse. “And the other pitches, I kinda learned over that part of the time as well. And really, the Pirates were developing my slider, and I think it’s in a good spot right now. So I’m happy with it all.”
Hernandez, the best pitcher on the field Sunday in Philadelphia, shut down the AL Future All-Stars on a 1-2-3 14-pitch second inning.
Prior to the AL winning by a final of 6-1 over the NL, Hernandez hit on his Mexican heritage with Latino Sports among many other topics.
“My dad’s from Mexico, and my dad’s grandma is from Durango, Mexico,” he said. “Being from California, I’d say I’m a little more American than Latino, but, yeah, I think it’s special to wear Hernandez on my back.”
Across 69 innings pitched this season, Hernandez has recorded 111 punchouts with an ERA of 2.61 between Low-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro. He was promoted to High-A on May 12th following a 2025 season where he didn’t pitch after being drafted at No. 6 overall last July.
“It’s taken a lot of work,” he said of his progress. “I think a lot of the preparation and spring training is really paying off. And now just going forward, it’s just about taking care of the body, making sure I’m staying healthy for the rest of the year.”
Another positive factor for Hernandez is that he has several Pirates teammates who are marquee names in the big leagues to draw inspiration from such as Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Braxton Ashcraft, who all have had success with the Pittsburgh.
“The fact that we have a bunch of guys in the big leagues having 100-MPH (stuff), you can learn a lot from them and it’s amazing. I think a big thing with Paul is his work ethic. Seeing him work in the spring and how he goes about it is special and kinda just inspires you to be like the best.”
Despite being one year in with the Pirates, Seth Hernandez has already picked up valuable tips from Pirates ace Paul Skenes – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
A first round draft pick out of Corona High School in California in the 2025 MLB Draft, besides Hernandez being an elite pitcher, he also was a standout catcher.
“It kind of kept my mind fully off of pitching,” he said of being behind the plate. “It gave me the chance to be athletic and have fun and play a kid’s game. But now that I’m here in pro ball, I’m glad that I’m just pitching because the hitting side is not so easy here.”
The future is bright for Hernandez overall and the way it’s looking, he could contribute to the Pirates in the next year or two if he continues on this path.
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