Quinn Priester

Charles Quinn Priester

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.
• High School Cary-Grove High School
• Debut July 17, 2023

• Born September 16, 2000 in Glendale Heights, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Quinn Priester was the first round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2019 amateur draft, 18th overall, from a high school in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. He quickly signed for a $3.4 million bonus and reported to the GCL Pirates to begin his pro career, foregoing a commitment to attend Texas Christian University. He played both baseball and football until his junior year of high school, when having his fastball timed at 97 mph convinced him to concentrate on baseball. In football, he led his high school to a state title after switching from quarterback to wide receiver and had preliminary offers of a two-way scholarship from Northwestern University, which he turned down.

After 8 games in the Gulf Coast League, including 7 starts, he was promoted to the West Virginia Black Bears of the New York-Penn League for one final start and finished his first season with a record of 1-1, 3.19 and a 41/14 K/W ratio in 36 2/3 innings. He then had to sit out the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic, but returned with a vengeance in 2021. He made 20 starts for the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the High-A East, going 7-4, 3.04 before the Pirates shut him down, wanting to keep his innings below 100, given how little he had pitched recently. He ended up at 97 2/3 innings with 98 Ks and 39 walks. One of the highlights of his season was appearing in the 2021 Futures Game.

He was sidelined by an oblique issue during spring training in 2022, and as a result his season did not start until June 9th. Had he been healthy, he would likely have begin the year in AA, but the Pirates decided to let him pitch a few times for the Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League. In his first outing, he was brilliant, not allowing a hit in 3 innings against the Clearwater Threshers, and three more relievers kept the Phillies farmhands in check to combine on a 3-0 no-hitter.

Further Reading

• Associated Press: "Mirror image: Pirates' top pick Priester delivers on promise", USA Today, June 11, 2019. [1]
• Tyler Maun: "Priester's debut sparks Marauders no-hitter", mlb.com, June 9, 2022. [2]

Related Sites

• Quinn Priester on mlb.com
• BR Minors page