Two days of recaps here because not much went on Wednesday or Thursday night of note, at least on the field. I’ll add extra notes in Thursday’s recap for any player who saw action both days.
On Wednesday in Venezuela, Jose Osuna went 2-for-5 with a run, RBI, and three strikeouts. He is hitting .333/.395/.508 through 51 games and has emerged as the top candidate for the league’s Rookie of the Year award. He has played parts of two seasons in the league before this year, but still qualifies due to limited playing time each year.
Elias Diaz went 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored. He has slumped recently at the plate, going 3-for-19 in his last six games. Diaz has a .239/.307/.433 slash line through 19 games. He has still allowed just two stolen bases this winter.
Elvis Escobar was used as a pinch-runner and scored a run. He has 14 at-bats in 20 games this winter.
Gorkys Hernadez had a tough game, going 0-for-5 with his first two errors.
In the Dominican, Gustavo Nunez was the only Pirates’ player to see action, and he’s currently a free agent. He went 2-for-4 with his first homer and drove in three runs.
In Puerto Rico, Danny Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. He is hitting .194/.286/.224 in 30 games.
In Mexico, Carlos Munoz went 0-for-4.
Sebastian Valle went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double and he drove in three runs. He had one walk in his first 22 games.
Thursday’s Action
In Mexico, Carlos Munoz continued to slump, going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He is on a 7-for-52 streak, and hasn’t had an extra-base hit in over three weeks. Munoz has seen his average drop to .253, though he started the season off strong, so his OPS is still a respectable .763, especially when you factor in his age/experience.
During the regular season in 2015, Munoz hit .193 over the last 28 games. In 2014, he saw his OPS drop from .934 in the first 27 games, down to .674 in the last 27 games. In 2013, his OPS dropped 100 points each month, after starting the season strong. In 2012, he batted .197 over a 23 game stretch, but hit over .300 during the other 22 games that season. So he has been a very streaky hitter throughout his career, usually wearing down in the second half.
Sebastian Valle went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. He may sign to play in Mexico during the regular season if nothing better comes up.
In the Dominican, Gustavo Nunez went 0-for-4. He is hitting .219 through 32 games, with three extra-base hits, all within the last week.
In Venezuela, Gorkys Hernandez went 1-for-3 with two walks and an outfield assist. He is hitting .332/.414/.420 in 51 games.
The winter coverage got a little lighter due to the Rule 5 draft. The Pirates lost Deolis Guerra and Patrick Johnson, both of whom were pitching in Venezuela. The Marlins also signed Felipe Gonzalez, so he was going to be dropped from the coverage anyway, but it was interesting to note that the Dodgers took him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. So his stay with the Marlins was extremely short. Gonzalez was also traded in the Mexican league this week, which means he has moved around a lot this off-season.
Finally, Zack Dodson has signed with the Orioles. The 2009 fourth round pick of the Pirates was pitching in Venezuela earlier this off-season, getting off to a strong start before hitting a rough patch. Assuming the Pirates don’t re-sign Jeff Inman this off-season, that would leave Tony Sanchez as the only remaining member of the 2009 draft class. About the only good thing you could say about the 2009 class is that they were able to use five of them in trades, bringing back Marlon Byrd, Derrek Lee, Wandy Rodriguez and Mark Melancon in those deals.
