Thomas Harrington

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #3 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium.
  
  Track Record: Pittsburgh selected Harrington No. 36 overall in 2022 out of Campbell. He arrived in pro ball with more projection than a typical college arm, given his limited track record after going from being a walk-on to becoming the Camels’ Friday night starter. He enjoyed his best professional season in 2024 despite missing the first month with a right rotator cuff strain. Harrington’s walk rate of 1.46 per nine innings and 0.96 WHIP both ranked in the top 10 among qualified minor league pitchers.
  
  Scouting Report: Harrington relies on a deep pitch mix and pristine command to induce plenty of weak contact. His arsenal has undergone significant changes since turning pro. After previously relying on a two-seam fastball in college, Harrington has since turned to a 92-93 mph four-seamer with decent spin and life through the zone thrown from a lower release height. The Pirates hope Harrington can add another tick or two of velocity, which would help reduce the ambush risk against better hitters. He also added more sweep to his above-average 82-84 mph slider and reintroduced a solid-average upper-80s cutter in 2023. Staying true to form, Harrington reworked his changeup grip and emerged from the offseason with a new mid-80s splitter that hitters missed nearly 36% of the time in 2024. Harrington didn’t miss an overwhelming amount of bats, but the ability to throw any offering to any quadrant of the strike zone has remained intact throughout the changes. His success is largely based on plus-plus control. His 4.1% walk rate in 2024 was fifth-best among minor league pitchers who threw at least 100 innings.
  
  The Future: Harrington’s pitchability and variety of pitches provide the makings of a No. 4 starter. He could reach Pittsburgh by the second half of 2025.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Split: 55 | Control: 70
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #6 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Harrington’s profile involves more than a bit of projection and development. He didn’t start pitching full-time until his junior year of high school in Sanford, N.C., and the pandemic limited his senior year to one start. He walked on at Campbell and became the team’s Friday starter by the time he was drafted in 2022, when he was a sophomore. Pittsburgh chose him with their supplemental first-round pick and signed him for $2.047 million. He pitched at two Class A levels in his 2023 pro debut, primarily High-A Greensboro.
  
  Scouting Report: Harrington’s mix starts with a four-seam fastball that sits around 93 mph but plays up because of high spin rates and excellent life through the zone. The pitch is further amplified by a lower release height and angle created in his delivery. Harrington threw his fastball effectively in and out of the zone, earning high rates of both miss and chase. The righthander backs up his fastball primarily with two pitches. The first is a short, sweeping slider in the low 80s that he can land in the zone for a called strike or spin out of the zone for chases. He rounds out his mix with a mid-80s changeup that he shows solid feel to throw but still could use further development and consistency. Harrington also throws a two-seam fastball in the same velocity range as his four-seamer and will flip in an occasional cutter as well. The latter pitch could become a bigger part of his arsenal in coming seasons. He threw all of his pitches for strikes in volume and quality. All together, Harrington’s mix gives him a variety of shapes and velocities to disperse throughout the strike zone to hitters of both hands.
  
  The Future: The 2024 season, which will likely begin in Double-A, should provide a clearer picture of Harrington’s direction and future. For now, he could fit in the back of a rotation.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #10 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The rare projectable college pitcher with limited innings, Harrington was a two-sport star at Southern Lee High in Sanford, N.C., who only became a full-time pitcher as a junior and made only one start as a senior in 2020 before the pandemic ended his season. Harrington received minimal Division I interest and opted to walk on at Campbell. He quickly made an impact, winning the Camels' Sunday starter role entering the spring and pitching his way to Big South Conference freshman of the year honors. He was even better as a sophomore in 2022, posting a 2.53 ERA to go with 111 strikeouts, 18 walks and only one home run allowed in 92.2 innings. The Pirates drafted him 36th overall and signed him for $2.047 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Harrington provides an intriguing foundation for the Pirates to mold. When he signed, his deep arsenal was fronted by a low-90s two-seam fastball. He also experimented with a four-seam fastball at Campbell in 2022 that touched 96 mph. Both his sweeping low-80s slider and tailing mid-80s changeup have intriguing shape, but neither showed plus potential as an amateur. Harrington also flashes a slower upper-70s curveball as a change-of-pace look for hitters. Scouts like his arm action, while his athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery, suggesting plus command potential. Harrington could enhance his entire profile if he finds a way to unlock a bit more power in his arsenal. And there's reason to believe more could be in the tank, because Harrington added nearly 20 pounds of muscle in two years at Campbell and has room on his 6-foot-2 frame to continue adding strength.
  
  The Future: Harrington is a polished strike-thrower who could move quickly through the lower levels. He will make his professional debut in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 60

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #48 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Campbell Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21
  BA Grade: 50/High
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Cutter: | Control: 60
  One of the better players to come out of Southern Lee High in Sanford, N.C., Harrington was recruited as a walk-on to Campbell, where he immediately stepped into a prominent role on the pitching staff. He posted a 3.45 ERA over 75.2 innings and 14 starts as a freshman in 2021 and was one of the better arms in the Big South. This spring, as a draft-eligible sophomore, Harrington stepped into Campbell’s Friday night role and was one of the best strike throwers in the country—his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a top-25 mark among Division I arms. He was one of 31 Golden Spikes award semifinalists after posting a 2.53 ERA over 15 starts and 92.2 innings, with 111 strikeouts (30.0 K%) and 18 walks (4.9 BB%). Harrington has a four-pitch mix that’s led by a fastball that sits 90-93 mph and has been up to 96 this spring. His low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup have both shown improvement this spring and look like above-average pitches at best, with whiff rates over 40%. He’ll also mix in an upper-70s curveball, but that’s a solid fourth offering and used more as a get-me-over pitch than a swing-and-miss option. Harrington shows good feel to spot all his pitches as well as change speeds and eye levels. He’s a solid athlete and a good mover on the mound, with a clean and loose arm. At a lean, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Harrington has plenty of physical projection remaining and with more strength could develop more velocity and power to what is presently an extremely polished foundation.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #88 prospect in 2024

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The rare projectable college pitcher with limited innings, Harrington was a two-sport star at Southern Lee High in Sanford, N.C., who only became a full-time pitcher as a junior and made only one start as a senior in 2020 before the pandemic ended his season. Harrington received minimal Division I interest and opted to walk on at Campbell. He quickly made an impact, winning the Camels' Sunday starter role entering the spring and pitching his way to Big South Conference freshman of the year honors. He was even better as a sophomore in 2022, posting a 2.53 ERA to go with 111 strikeouts, 18 walks and only one home run allowed in 92.2 innings. The Pirates drafted him 36th overall and signed him for $2.047 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Harrington provides an intriguing foundation for the Pirates to mold. When he signed, his deep arsenal was fronted by a low-90s two-seam fastball. He also experimented with a four-seam fastball at Campbell in 2022 that touched 96 mph. Both his sweeping low-80s slider and tailing mid-80s changeup have intriguing shape, but neither showed plus potential as an amateur. Harrington also flashes a slower upper-70s curveball as a change-of-pace look for hitters. Scouts like his arm action, while his athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery, suggesting plus command potential. Harrington could enhance his entire profile if he finds a way to unlock a bit more power in his arsenal. And there's reason to believe more could be in the tank, because Harrington added nearly 20 pounds of muscle in two years at Campbell and has room on his 6-foot-2 frame to continue adding strength.
  
  The Future: Harrington is a polished strike-thrower who could move quickly through the lower levels. He will make his professional debut in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The rare projectable college pitcher with limited innings, Harrington was a two-sport star at Southern Lee High in Sanford, N.C., who only became a full-time pitcher as a junior and made only one start as a senior in 2020 before the pandemic ended his season. Harrington received minimal Division I interest and opted to walk on at Campbell. He quickly made an impact, winning the Camels' Sunday starter role entering the spring and pitching his way to Big South Conference freshman of the year honors. He was even better as a sophomore in 2022, posting a 2.53 ERA to go with 111 strikeouts, 18 walks and only one home run allowed in 92.2 innings. The Pirates drafted him 36th overall and signed him for $2.047 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Harrington provides an intriguing foundation for the Pirates to mold. When he signed, his deep arsenal was fronted by a low-90s two-seam fastball. He also experimented with a four-seam fastball at Campbell in 2022 that touched 96 mph. Both his sweeping low-80s slider and tailing mid-80s changeup have intriguing shape, but neither showed plus potential as an amateur. Harrington also flashes a slower upper-70s curveball as a change-of-pace look for hitters. Scouts like his arm action, while his athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery, suggesting plus command potential. Harrington could enhance his entire profile if he finds a way to unlock a bit more power in his arsenal. And there's reason to believe more could be in the tank, because Harrington added nearly 20 pounds of muscle in two years at Campbell and has room on his 6-foot-2 frame to continue adding strength.
  
  The Future: Harrington is a polished strike-thrower who could move quickly through the lower levels. He will make his professional debut in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  August Update: One of the better players to come out of Southern Lee High in Sanford, N.C., Harrington was recruited as a walk-on to Campbell, where he immediately stepped into a prominent role on the pitching staff. He posted a 3.45 ERA over 75.2 innings and 14 starts as a freshman in 2021 and was one of the better arms in the Big South. This spring, as a draft-eligible sophomore, Harrington stepped into Campbell&#39s Friday night role and was one of the best strike throwers in the country—his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a top-25 mark among Division I arms. He was one of 31 Golden Spikes award semifinalists after posting a 2.53 ERA over 15 starts and 92.2 innings, with 111 strikeouts (30.0 K%) and 18 walks (4.9 BB%). Harrington has a four-pitch mix that&#39s led by a fastball that sits 90-93 mph and has been up to 96 this spring. His low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup have both shown improvement this spring and look like above-average pitches at best, with whiff rates over 40%. He&#39ll also mix in an upper-70s curveball, but that&#39s a solid fourth offering and used more as a get-me-over pitch than a swing-and-miss option. Harrington shows good feel to spot all his pitches as well as change speeds and eye levels. He&#39s a solid athlete and a good mover on the mound, with a clean and loose arm. At a lean, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Harrington has plenty of physical projection remaining and with more strength could develop more velocity and power to what is presently an extremely polished foundation.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 60.