That was not an ideal outcome Friday night for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The bullpen really stepped up the last half of the game, allowing just two hits and holding the San Francisco Giants off the board.
Cam Vieaux made his major league debut and struck out three in 1 2/3 innings, and Yerry De Los Santos pitched a shutout seventh inning, picking up for starter Zach Thompson, who couldn’t get out of the fifth.
The offense, was not good, collecting just two hits — one a piece by Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jack Suwinski.
Not much else going on after that, and a lot of the young guys continue to struggle. After making the big leagues out of camp, Diego Castillo is under the Mendoza line, with Suwinski and Cal Mitchell floating just above it at the moment.
It’d be easy to panic — this was the year we expected the first wave of prospects to hit — and that fresh breath of air that everyone felt when they started to get called up has firmly been replaced with the hard reality of what happens when you play with so many rookies.
It’s been a rough season, all throughout the system, but the team put forward a plan, and part of it is letting these kids struggle so they can learn and adapt and be the foundation of a potential winning team once again.
We’ve seen some interesting checkpoints along the way, with Roansy Contreras breaking out and now establishing himself as a major league starting pitcher. On a smaller scale, the work they’ve done with Matt Gorski’s swing is allowing to continue to mash even now in Altoona.
At the end of the day, it’s about the destination, not the journey.
Pirates Prospects Spotlight
Shalin Polanco Earned His Spot in the Florida Complex League
Pirates Links
Prospect Watch
Today: Action Starts at 10AM
Yesterday: FCL Pirates Win Two, While Two Starters Fail to Survive the First Inning
Daily Video Rundown
Today: Shalin Polanco, Travis MacGregor, Matt Fraizer
Yesterday: Ji-Hwan Bae, Lolo Sanchez, Henry Davis
Pirates Discussion
Today: Still No Oneil Cruz
Pirates Prospects Daily Articles
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THIS WEEKEND ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
The Pirates Are Modeling a College Baseball Development Track in the Lowest Levels
Ten Players to Watch on the 2022 FCL Pirates
Ten Players to Watch on the 2022 DSL Pirates
Shalin Polanco Earned His Spot in the Florida Complex League
The Pirates Are Converting Daniel Rivero From Outfield to Pitcher
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Williams: What Does Oneil Cruz Want to Become?
Minor League Season Preview: 2022 FCL Pirates
Minor League Season Preview: 2022 DSL Pirates
Prospect Roundtable: Brennan Malone Makes His 2022 Debut
Bubba Chandler: “At the end of the day this is an elite competitor”
Braylon Bishop Features One of the Sweetest Swings in the System
Two-Pitch Combination Gives Owen Kellington Edge Over Competition
