The Pittsburgh Pirates had players moving all around on Saturday. The Pirates lost Jameson Taillon to injury, JB Shuck was designated for assignment, and they sent down Pablo Reyes. They got back Dovydas Neverauskas, Tyler Lyons and Kevin Newman.
Those moves had a ripple effect throughout the system. With an opening in Indianapolis, they received lefty reliever Sean Keselica from Altoona.
Altoona received IF/OF Alfredo Reyes from Indianapolis and right-handed pitcher Blake Cederlind from Bradenton. Ryan Peurifoy has been assigned to Extended Spring Training.
Bradenton lost Cederlind and also Drew Fischer, who went on the injured list with a right elbow strain. They got right-handed pitchers Shea Murray and Nick Mears from Greensboro.
Greensboro moved Mears and Murray, and received right-handed pitchers Yerry De Los Santos and John O’Reilly from Extended Spring Training.
There are a lot of interesting arms being mentioned here, especially Cederlind (pictured) and the four players with Greensboro. Cederlind is right near the top as the hardest thrower in the system right now, touching triple figures on numerous occasions throughout last season and sitting high-90s this year. I watched one quick this season outing where every fastball was 98 MPH. He allowed one run in 7.2 innings with the Marauders this season. Control is an issue, but when he throws strikes, he is very difficult to hit. His breaking ball has also shown a lot of improvement since last year. That’s a big plus for him because he really just had his fastball working during his first 2+ seasons in the system.
Murray hit 99 MPH in college, but played outfield during his senior season due to poor control. The Pirates drafted him because of that fastball and his huge frame. He had an elbow injury in 2017, then couldn’t throw strikes last year. This season he has shown a huge improvement with his control. It’s not great by any means, but he wasn’t getting through one inning last year most of the time, and this year he hasn’t had any of those implosions.
Mears throws mid-90s with an above average curve. He gave up three runs in his first game, then one run over his ten innings since then. He has 19 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
De Los Santos and O’Reilly were mentioned as the two most improved pitchers in Extended Spring Training since last year. Both players have added velocity, hitting 95-96 MPH, and O’Reilly has really improved all of his pitches. While they weren’t the best prospects at Pirate City, they were the two most deserving additions when spots opened up.
