In today's baseball world, it is difficult for any prospect to go unnoticed.

Baseball America, the original publication to rank prospects, is well-respected throughout baseball. MLB.com does an excellent job of ranking and reporting on prospects. Plenty of other online outlets have extensive coverage of minor-leaguers.

With that in mind, Ryan Harbin's addition to the Pittsburgh Pirates' 40-man roster on Thursday was a surprise to everyone but the most hardcore baseball fans. Harbin has never been a top 100 prospect. Heck, he hasn't even been ranked among the Pirates' top 30 prospects since being their 17th-round draft pick in 2019.

So, how did Harbin earn a spot on the 40-man roster?

The short answer is that he would have become a minor league free agent on Thursday if the Pirates hadn't added him to the major league roster. The more detailed answer is that his fastball reaches 100 mph and complements it with a wipeout slider and a splitter. Even in today's velocity-driven games, pitchers who throw triple digits still stand out, even if they don't get any prospect hype.

The statistic that stands out most for Harbin during his six-year professional career is 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He has been able to overpower hitters ever since being drafted following his senior year of high school in Bartow, Fla.

Harbin struck out 92 batters in 63 1/3 innings combined this past season while pitching for High-A Greensboro (22 games), Double-A Altoona (14 games), and Triple-A Indianapolis (14 games). Command has long been the issue for Harbin as he has walked 5.8 per nine innings in his career and issued 46 bases on balls this season, including 16 in 13 1/3 innings for Indianapolis.

Harbin's ERA was 5.40 this season, and his career mark is 4.74 in 136 games (10 starts). However, Harbin has come a long way since his days at the Rookie-ball level. He allowed 10 runs in 9 1/3 innings in his professional debut and, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season, returned to the Florida Complex League in 2021 and was tagged for 13 runs in 14 1/3 innings.

Now, Harbin has flown under the prospect ranking radar all the way to the 40-man roster.