PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He mostly quietly made his way up the Pirates minor league system putting together big numbers without the fanfare. Tuesday, right-hander Thomas Harrington makes his MLB debut at Tampa Bay with the opportunity to win himself a future spot.
Harrington is currently the third-best prospect in the Pirates system, but he hasn’t been a name that has stood out. His first season with the Bucs, the right-hander was the 12th best prospect and has only risen since then.
In his first full season at both levels of A ball, Harrington struck out 146 in 127.1 innings with only 41 walks. The next season, last year, he started at AA and dominated. The 23-year-old had a 2.24 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP with 74 strikeouts to 10 walks in 68.1 innings with Altoona. He was then moved up to AAA where in eight starts he was 5-1, 3.33 ERA, 46 innings, 38 strikeouts to eight walks and a 0.93 WHIP.
The North Carolina native probably didn’t get the attention because even though he was a first-round pick, 36th overall, and a First-Team All-American it was TerMarr Johnson that went with the fourth overall selection and that Harrison pitched at Campbell University.
While Campbell has had a number of players drafted in their history, it’s not a well-known school, especially in the north.
Harrington’s senior season in 2022, he was 12-2 (leading NCAA in wins) with a 2.53 ERA with 111 strikeouts (Campbell record) to 18 walks and a 0.93 WHIP with only one home run allowed in 92.2 innings. You dig into those numbers he did well against good competition
· 7 innings, two hits, one run, one walk, nine strikeouts against Maryland
· 7 innings, four hits, one run, one walk, 11 strikeouts against Ohio State
· 6 innings, five hits, two earned runs, one walk, six strikeouts against West Virginia
The lone game he struggled was against ACC power Georgia Tech in the NCAA Tournament, giving up five runs on nine hits over seven innings, however he went long enough that Campbell was able to pull the upset.
At 6’2”, 185 pounds he’s not physically imposing either, but what he has shown is he can pitch. He doesn’t hurt himself and finds ways to go deep in games. The Pirates need a pitcher who can give them all of that after starting the season1-4, Tuesday is his first chance to show what he can do in the majors. And the opportunity is there for more.