The lone Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate in the full-season playoffs this year will be the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
Finishing 39-26 in the first half, Greensboro won the South Atlantic League North, clinching a spot in the playoffs. They’ve gone 31-29 in the second half, losing some of their best first-half contributors to promotions and trades. They have also recently been reloaded with help from Bradenton’s best players.
Today’s feature looks at the players who could help Greensboro in the post-season.
The Next Wave of Pitchers
Indianapolis has all of the top pitching prospects in the system. The next best group is currently in Greensboro. After the recent promotion of Michael Kennedy, the Grasshoppers now have three of the top 20 prospects pitching for them in the playoffs.
Kennedy leads the Greensboro rankings at number 11 in the Pirates’ system. He recently made his debut at the level, allowing one run in five innings. He could get one more start before a playoff appearance, giving him some early experience for a likely return to Greensboro at the start of next season. He’s followed by two more top-20 prospects who have been pitching well all season.
Alessandro Ercolani is in his age 20 season, and has an advanced arsenal of pitches for his age. The number 16 prospect also gets good movement on his stuff, with a lot of run to his pitches. He has a 1.25 ERA since the start of July, with a 44:8 K/BB in 36 innings. He’s pitched in long relief for most of the second half of the season, after looking promising in the Greensboro rotation to start the year.
Carlson Reed has pitched at the High-A level for a month. His 0.73 ERA in that time, with a 29:9 K/BB, would put him in position to be a playoff starter, and likely the game one option. Reed finished with a 2.37 ERA in his final two months with Bradenton, with a 49:16 K/BB in 38 innings. This is his first year working as a starter, and he’s only gotten better as the season has continued, with improvements to his control results.
Carlos Jimenez and Wilber Dotel are the remaining top 50 prospects in the Greensboro pitching staff.
Jimenez was recently promoted, after putting up better control results in the second half with Bradenton. The right-hander, who ranks 48th overall, has a mid-90s fastball and one of the best changeups in the system. He made his debut with Greensboro in long relief, throwing two shutout innings. Jimenez had a 2.00 ERA in his final two months in the Bradenton rotation, with 37 strikeouts and 21 walks in 36 innings.
Dotel has pitched in the Greensboro rotation all season, showing good fastball velocity and swing and miss secondary in his age 21 season. The number 49 prospect has lacked consistency in the second half, getting hit around to the tune of a 5.89 ERA in 44.1 innings. He’s struck out 50 and walked 19, but has given up nine homers during this stretch. Dotel should get one more start, and could be a playoff starter.
Power Potential
Greensboro has three position players in the top 25 of the system who lead with their power potential from premium defensive positions.
Unfortunately, Jack Brannigan is on the injured list. The number 15 prospect in the system led the Greensboro offense when he was active, hitting for an .802 OPS, 17 homers, and adding 12 stolen bases. He’s a plus defender from the left side of the infield. It’s possible that he could be a surprise return for the playoffs, but for now he just leads the team hitters in the rankings.
Lonnie White Jr. has shown home run power in his first full season of a pro career that was slowed early by injuries. White has 14 homers in 310 at-bats this year, adding 11 stolen bases. The number 20 prospect has had some swing and miss issues, leading to a .278 on-base percentage. He’ll give Greensboro a power bat in the playoffs, but will need to scale back the power approach for more control to advance beyond High-A.
Omar Alfonzo was promoted to Greensboro last month, and has replicated his offense in Bradenton. Alfonzo is the number 25 prospect in the system, due to his ability to control the strike zone, get on base, and hit for power from the catching position. He’s got the skills to be a catcher in the long-term, while having the power potential to play first base. He will be a key middle of the order hitter for Greensboro in the playoffs.
A bonus top 50 prospect was added recently, with Javier Rivas stepping in for Brannigan. Rivas is the number 40 prospect in the system, and a lot of that ranking is due to his power potential. He hit 12 homers, 19 doubles, and one triple in Bradenton this year, while adding a triple in his first five games with Greensboro. He has some alarming swing and miss, and could be another player who would benefit from scaling back from their power approach to a more controlled overall approach.
Sleepers
Mitch Jebb was the second round pick last season, and has spent the entire season in High-A this year. The number 28 prospect in the system stands out for his 41 stolen bases, and his .805 OPS since the start of July. He’s batting .302/.386/.419 during that time, showing an advanced ability to get on base, and the aggressiveness with his plus speed to keep advancing once he’s on. The Pirates have been trying Jebb in center field lately, giving him a different look from his experience at the middle infield spots.
J.P. Massey is a sleeper to help in the playoff rotation. He’s had plenty of experience pitching in front of larger crowds and in showcase games. He’s been working out of the Greensboro rotation over the last month, averaging four innings per start. He could also make an appearance in the playoff rotation.
Duce Gourson was drafted in the ninth round this year out of UCLA. He gets on base at a high rate, adding extra base power and speed. Gourson’s contact consistency could improve, but he’s adding the on-base and extra base hits so far with Greensboro. He’ll be a boost to the power hitters in the middle of the lineup if he can continue getting on base at the top.
Final Thought
Greensboro will begin a best-of-three series on September 12th, taking on the second-half winner of the SAL North Division. That is currently Hudson Valley, which is the Yankees affiliate.
The winner of that series would go on to play a best-of-three series against the winner of the SAL South Division matchup between Rome (ATL) and Bowling Green (TB).
