With Jared Triolo making his Major League debut on Wednesday, that means eight Pirates have made their debuts this season. Of those eight, six are still with the team, one is on the injured list (Jose Hernandez) and the last was outrighted back to Altoona (Drew Maggi).
The sample size on each of the players remaining with the team are really small, and it hasn’t been until the last two days that the wins are showing, but you can’t argue that they’ve all provided sparks throughout their brief time in the majors.
Former first overall pick Henry Davis is quickly acclimating himself into the middle of the lineup, having now hit safely in six straight, and in seven of his first nine overall.
Henry Davis is a special talent. pic.twitter.com/OA9bkGVirk
— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) June 29, 2023
After originally hitting at the bottom of the lineup, Davis has hit in the three-hole the last two games, and the offense combined to put up their highest scoring output on consecutive days in over a month.
Osvaldo Bido has put up three very strong starts, Carmen Mlodzinski has had some strong moments out the bullpen, and Nick Gonzales has flashed some of the power in his bat.
They all have work to do, but are still finding ways to chip in as they learn at the major league level.
Osvaldo Bido's 3Ks thru 2. pic.twitter.com/94WIsKL5MS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 24, 2023
On top of that, there are more prospects potentially on the way. Endy Rodriguez is starting to hit for some more power as of late, Quinn Priester has had flashes, and recently found his way back onto Baseball America’s Top 100 list.
If the Pirates are still looking for bullpen help, Colin Selby offers one of the better sliders in the system. After starting the year in Altoona, Jared Jones now finds himself one stop away from the majors. With the way he’s been pitching, it might not be as crazy as it would have seemed at the beginning of the year to see him in Pittsburgh.
Liover Peguero picked up four hits on Wednesday, three for extra-bases, and has just one start in the majors under his belt.
It’s all little things, but if the Pirates get enough sparks, the team is bound to catch fire at some point.
The Pirates will get Colin Holderman, Bryan Reynolds and Ji-Man Choi back soon (along with Ke’Bryan Hayes as well). Andrew McCutchen has been their most consistent hitter all season and Carlos Santana may be the player that is catching fire off one of those many sparks being set by the young players.
There’s work to be done, but it looks like Ben Cherington is starting to let the rookies run free now, which may be exactly what the team needed.
Prospect Notes
— Shalin Polanco hit his 12th home run of the season on Wednesday, but also struck out three times. He was trending in the right direction, at a really encouraging rate this month, so this one game won’t be too much of a set back.
It will still be something to monitor at how things will continue to progress over the second half of the season. The Pirates could really use a win on the hitting side of the development side of things, and Polanco really has the tools to be that.
— I mentioned this above, but Peguero picking up four hits — including two home runs — furthers his case to be the next guy to get a call to Pittsburgh. We are just starting the second half of the minor league season and he’s already passed his home run total from 2022, and is two doubles away from tying the 22 he hit last year.
The defense has looked better as he has bounced between second base and shortstop. When it comes to pure tools defensively, I’d take Peguero’s over anyone playing the middle infield right now in Pittsburgh.
Daily Video Rundown
Jared Triolo's first big league hit! pic.twitter.com/yjHRf12BkT
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 29, 2023
With Hayes going to the IL, Jared Triolo made his major league debut and picked up his first career hit.
Make that *2* tanks for Peggy tonight pic.twitter.com/D8dInynlqz
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) June 29, 2023
The second of two home runs on the day for Liover Peguero.
Drive them in, Shack. ✊ pic.twitter.com/8XYCVEzQhV
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) June 29, 2023
Aaron Shackelford drives in a pair of runs with a single in the sixth inning.
PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY
By Tim Williams
I can’t promise that I haven’t reached my final “where did Tim Williams go?” moment of 2023. I’ve got some big plans in the next few days, weeks, and month. My hope is to write daily, keep the article schedules running, and try to continue getting the site to where I want it to be. We’re almost there.
This week, expect an “Article Drop” almost daily. Today’s series of articles can be found below. Thursday’s “Article Drop” will be very player focused, with articles on Jared Triolo, JP Massey, and maybe a bonus prospect?
The Pirates won against the Padres 7-1 tonight. Check out Pirates Prospects Live for the recap, plus all of the minor league action.
**P2Live: Keller Battles and Pirates Jump on San Diego Bullpen in 7-1 Win
I’ve got a column mini-series that started today, giving my look at this team during the second half. The first article looked at how the Pirates are giving too much playing time to part-time players right now. Read that one in the link below, and check the site tomorrow for part two. It’s going to be a fun look at how I’d grade the players in this system, along with my view on prospect grades.
**Williams: The Pains of Part-Time Players Getting Too Much Playing Time
Lonnie White Jr. had a five hit day this week in the Florida Complex League. Wilbur Miller wrote about him in the new Prospect Watch. Check back at noon tomorrow for the latest trio of prospect updates.
**Prospect Watch: Lonnie White Jr., Kelvin Diaz, Yojeiry Osoria
Help me figure out something: Are the Pirates City Connect jerseys flawless, or is David Hague just an incredible photographer?
**Gallery: Pirates Unveil City Connect Jerseys
The Pirates called up Jared Triolo, while placing Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list. I keep calling Triolo “luxury depth”. That play to end the game tonight was a great example why. It’s his MLB debut, the final ball is hit to him, it bounces off the bag and makes an awkward turn, and he still fields it and fires a strike to first to end the game. There’s a reason he won Gold Glove awards in High-A and Double-A. Triolo also picked up his first hit. They might not all be this good, but Triolo is capable of having games like tonight. He should just not be asked to bunt ever again. We’ll have more on Triolo tomorrow.
**Pirates Recall Jared Triolo; Place Ke’Bryan Hayes on Injured List
Missed yesterday? I loved Anthony’s brief breakdown of what Nick Gonzales needs to do to have success in the majors.
**Pirates Prospect Daily: The Key To Success For Nick Gonzales
SONG OF THE DAY
After snapping their ten game losing streak last week in Miami, the Pirates had the BeeGees blasting “Staying Alive” in the clubhouse. On Thursday afternoon, they get a chance to sweep the Padres and move to four under .500. In the spirit of their season Staying Alive:
