Welcome to the Pirates Prospects daily video rundown, where we pull some of the top videos of the Pittsburgh Pirates across the internet.
Daily Video Rundown
Bligh Madris
When Oneil Cruz got optioned to Triple-A, it looked like the Pirates weren’t going to venture into any other options for the roster outside of what was generally predicted going into Spring Training.
There are a pair of players making a case for the team to go against the grain, one of them is non-roster invitee Bligh Madris.
Go ahead, Bligh! pic.twitter.com/k1yb1RD4iR
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 30, 2022
Madris, 26, was the team’s ninth round pick back in 2017 out of Colorado Mesa. In 2021 he batted .267/.353/.417 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs across two levels in the Pirates system.
He showed a good approach to the plate, drawing a walk 11.2% of the time. While Madris has certainly made a good case to be included on the Opening Day roster, it won’t be as simple. As a non-roster invite, the Pirates would have to clear a 40-man roster spot to make room for Madris.
The lefty hitting Madris saw very limited time in center field last year, just three innings worth in Altoona, but that has changed in Spring Training. Madris has split time across all three outfield positions, boosting his versatility.
Diego Castillo
Another day, another Diego Castillo highlight. It’s a little unclear just what the Pirates’ plans were as far as second base, but if they didn’t include the 24-year-old Castillo, he is certainly forcing them to reconsider.
After taking Gerrit Cole deep against the New York Yankees on Sunday, Castillo kept up the Spring long hot streak with not one, but two home runs on Wednesday.
He also made a slick play defensively while playing shortstop. Here’s a video of all three from Wednesday.
2-run homer, 2 homer day pic.twitter.com/hyHxv4MGpg
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) March 30, 2022
So far this Spring, Castillo has gone 7-of-19 (.368) with three home runs, three runs scored and six RBIs. While playing mostly second and third base up to Wednesday, Castillo got some time at shortstop, a position he didn’t play much last year.
The Pirates didn’t have a clear cut front-runner for the second base job. Michael Chavis hasn’t played well, and while Cole Tucker has, he brings much more value off the bench with his versatility in the outfield.
It may seem hard to believe that Castillo has a chance to make the roster, especially after Cruz was sent to the minors but you can argue the former has a more advanced approach at the plate currently (10 BB% in 2021, walked more than he struck out after joining the Pirates organization).
Po-Yu Chen
The Pirates gave Chen seven-figure signing bonus to add the righty to the organization and after a brief look in Bradenton at the end of the 2021 season, 2022 seems like it will be his first full season in the minors.
Chen showed incredible control in the Florida Complex League, but struggled once he got to Low-A. Overall, Chen posted a 2.57 ERA across 42 innings, walking 12 (all with Bradenton) and striking out 44.
The 20-year-old has an interesting pitch-mix and if the fastball registers faster than it did while with Bradenton, he could be a prospect to watch even closer.
Chen with his first K of the day
Here’s a look at Chen striking out a Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer, along with a whole thread of info on the pitcher from his outing on Wednesday.
