I had the opportunity to interview Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Thomas Harrington and outfield prospect Mitch Jebb before their game against the Louisville Bats on August 22nd. I was curious about the mental grind of playing AAA baseball, playing right on the doorstep of the major leagues. While Jebb is still waiting for his chance to break into the majors, Harrington had a brief stint in the majors during the 2025 season and had a short call-up earlier this season. Despite conquering the lower minor leagues, both players have faced adversity during their time with the Pirates AAA affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians.

Early this season, Jebb broke his thumb, causing him to miss a large portion of the season while he rehabbed. Jebb stated this was his first major injury, and for a player who lives and breathes baseball, he said the rehab was very challenging and tedious. His biggest motivation during rehab was to make it back to the team before the season ended and end on a high note.

As a player, Jebb offers positional versatility. He was originally drafted out of Michigan State University as a 2B/SS. Along with his multifaceted defense, he contributes top-end speed and makes good contact, as evidenced by his elite swing decisions, which all rank in the good-to-elite percentiles.

Jebb is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this off-season, therefore the Pirates will have to add him to their 40 man roster or subject him to the draft and risk losing him to another organization. Either way, with the way he has continued to improve, he may debut in the majors sometime during the 2027 season.

2026 is Harrington’s third season with the Indians. He mentioned this iteration of the clubhouse was younger than years past, which is partly due to a wave of prospects having received a promotion to the major league club. I asked how he managed his mental health with being on the verge of a call-up at any moment. For a player in Harrington’s position, it can be easy to constantly check the Pirates’ transaction and injury logs to see if a call-up could be imminent. That could certainly add stress to each pitching performance and add a weight to every pitch. Yet, Harrington maintains a level head and stated he sticks to his routine and his work habits. He said he attempted to “control the things he could control” and to “keep his feet wherever he was.” This feels like worthwhile advice not only for a professional baseball player, but also for non-athletes. It’s essential to remember to stay grounded when anxiety can permeate into one’s consciousness.

Baseball players are creatures of habit and routine, especially pitchers. Harrington was a starting pitcher throughout his professional career until this season. He’s pitched in 28 games for the Indians and started 9 games. I asked him how challenging it was to flip roles, going from starting, to relieving, to starting. He acknowledged the challenge, as pitching from the bullpen dictates a different mentality than starting. As a starter, a pitcher can face the same batter several times during a game. The more times a batter sees a pitcher’s arsenal, the advantage shifts in the batter’s favor as they learn the pitches movement. Also, a starting pitcher has to have the stamina to potentially reach 100 pitches during a game, while a reliever can enter a game and pitch with 100% effort and velocity since stamina isn’t a prerequisite.

Prior to the 2025 season, Harrington was ranked a consensus top 80 prospect in the sport, per Baseball America, MLB, and Baseball Prospectus. Since then, Harrington has had mixed results in AAA. While Harrington’s 5.56 ERA leaves room for improvement, his underlying metrics foretell a more optimistic view, with a 4.35 FIP paired with a respectable 19.8% K rate (46th percentile), 12.6% SwStr % (78th percentile), and 81.5% Z-Contact % (82nd percentile).

Harrington has pitched well in August, with a 2.08 ERA in 17.1 innings across 4 games (2 starts). His August 1.15 WHIP would be his best of the season, which is aided by 13 strikeouts against 4 walks. He credits his 3 different fastballs for his recent string of 11.2 scoreless innings and his ability to locate/command the fastballs. Additionally, his sweeper has been one of his toughest pitches to hit. Batters have a 38.7% whiff rate (very good) as well as a .251 xwOBA (meaning batters aren’t getting on base very often against the pitch).

Harrington_Stats — *Harrington’s AAA stats via TJ Stats*

Game Summary

Louisville 5

Indianapolis 4

Despite a slow start to the season, the Indians caught fire during the second half of the season and found themselves tied for 1st place with St. Paul (Minnesota Twins AAA). Playing the last place Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds AAA), the Indians had 17 games left (11 coming at home) to try to pull away from St. Paul. LHP Connor Wietgrefe took the mound for the Indians and he was opposed by LHP Brandon Williamson.

The Bats took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning and maintained throughout the game. Despite losing 5-2 entering the bottom of the 9th, the Indians rallied. After a leadoff walk, Jebb placed a perfectly executed bunt down the 3rd base line for a single, which also resulted in a throwing error, advancing both of the baserunners. The Indians scored 2 runs in the final frame, but the rally came up short; they stranded two baserunners and lost, 5-4.

Wietgrefe pitched 6.1 effective innings, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) and 7 baserunners while striking out 3. The start lowered Weitgrefe’s season ERA to 3.17 while throwing 86 pitches. Williamson pitched 4 solid innings, allowing 6 baserunners (4 BB), allowing 1 ER, and striking out 5. He lowered his ERA to 5.23 for the season.

Jebb paced the Indians offense, going 2-5 with 2 runs. His 2-hit day would raise his season OPS to .818 with a .283 BA. Outfielder Ronny Simón led the offense, going 2-3 while adding 2 walks and 3 RBIs. Outfielder Noelvi Marte helped lead the Louisville offense, going 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Marte has a .984 OPS at AAA this year. 3B Leo Balcazar went 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI and Jay Allen II went 1-4 with 2 RBI.

About the Author

Michael L. Sküpin (Substack profile) is a grizzled millennial husband/dad who loves talking baseball, football, hockey, basketball, college sports, sports business, fantasy sports, and many other sports. Fandoms include Detroit, Philadelphia, & Indianapolis. Also, happy to chat about advocacy, mental health, social justice, and life.

Cover photo credits:

Harrington: Julio Aguilar, Getty images

Jebb: Emma Cho, MiLB Indians

Interviews with Pirates Prospects Thomas Harrington and Mitch Jebb

About the Author

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