The Pirates called up one of their best hitting prospects yesterday in Henry Davis, giving them a potential boost in the outfield for the remainder of the season. I profiled Davis in right field for yesterday’s Prospect Watch.
Today looks at two more players who don’t have the impact potential of Davis, but who could make it to the majors by the end of the year. Cal Mitchell and Travis MacGregor are both options who could add depth to the major league team down the stretch. John Dreker also has a report on Alessandro Ercolani, who just won the Florida State League pitcher of the week award.
Looking for the daily game action? You can find that each day in Pirates Prospects Live.
Yesterday’s Action: Davis Doubles in First At-Bat, But Lifeless Pirates Routed for Seventh Straight Loss
Today’s Results: The Pirates Have Been Losing For Almost Two Months
TIM WILLIAMS: Cal Mitchell, RF, Indianapolis (AAA)
The Pirates just called up Henry Davis for right field, so I don’t think we should expect the arrival of any more outfielders any time soon. If they do need help, Cal Mitchell has been making some noise with the bat. Mitchell is hitting for a .314/.402/.514 line since the end of April. He has ten doubles and six home runs during this stretch, along with a .200 ISO.
One thing that stands out here is that Mitchell is striking out a lot more than normal. He’s at 27.4% during this period, with an 11.6% walk rate. Last year in Triple-A, Mitchell had a .339/.391/.547 line with a 14.6% strikeout rate and a 6.5% walk rate. The increase in strikeouts has come with an increase in walks, which is good. Mitchell is also hitting for some of his best power results of his career.
Mitchell didn’t fare well in the majors last year, despite the success in Triple-A. The Pirates have called upon other outfielders this year, like Canaan Smith-Njigba, who is now teammates with Mitchell in Indianapolis. Davis got the most recent call, which feels like a more permanent situation for the 2023 season.
If the Pirates need additional outfield depth, Mitchell is putting up some interesting numbers. His hitting profile has changed, and he might be finally learning how to tap into his plus raw power during games.
TIM WILLIAMS: Travis MacGregor, RHP, Indianapolis (AAA)
I like what Travis MacGregor did in Altoona this year. In 16 appearances, the right-hander put up a 1.83 ERA in 34.1 innings, striking out 45 and walking 13. MacGregor has since been moved up to Triple-A, where he now sits a step away from the majors.
The Pirates originally drafted MacGregor in the second round of the 2016 draft. They re-signed him this offseason as a minor league free agent, despite MacGregor coming off a year last year where he had a 5.22 ERA across 81 innings. His struggles last year came in Triple-A, where he posted a 7.25 ERA in 36 innings in relief. His time with Altoona was better, with a 3.60 ERA in 45 innings.
Last year was the first year that MacGregor pitched in relief. He improved this year in the Altoona bullpen, and now we’ll get a chance to see how much he’s improved against the higher level hitters. Typically when a player is brought back as a minor league free agent, the team still sees MLB upside. This was true a few years ago with Yerry De Los Santos, who is now in the big leagues. MacGregor has a few months to impress in Triple-A, and a lot can happen in that time.
JOHN DREKER: Alessandro Ercolani, RHP, Bradenton (A)
Alessandro Ercolani was in the headlines on Monday for winning the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week award. The 19-year-old from San Marino hasn’t had an easy transition to full-season ball, but he showing some signs of breaking out, both in the stats and on the radar gun.
Ercolani debuted in the Florida Complex League at 17 years old in 2021. He was limited to 18.1 innings over ten relief appearances, finishing with a 5.40 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP and 20 strikeouts. He saw regular time during the 2022 season, when he made eight starts and two relief appearances. He pitched well, posting a 1.19 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP over 30.1 innings. He issued too many walks (20), but it came with 39 strikeouts. That was enough to boost him to full-season ball shortly after his 19th birthday.
He has a 4.69 ERA over ten starts this year, with 39 strikeouts and a 1.64 WHIP in 40.1 innings. He set a career high with nine strikeouts two starts ago, then won the Pitcher of the Week award with five shutout innings on Friday. His name was brought up during a recent talk I had with someone from the Pirates, who said that he has really started putting everything together recently, including a velocity spike that now has him with a 93-97 MPH fastball. He’s been topping out at 98 MPH on occasion.
I watched Ercolani’s award-winning start pitch-by-pitch for this piece. He did a lot of his work with a fastball, blowing it by Single-A hitters. He has some control of the pitch, but he was really getting by with velocity, not location. He was occasionally throwing an inconsistent slider, which had a tighter spin on some of his pitches. He hung a few with no damage. His few changeups I saw looked good. What I really noticed is that he has filled out his frame nicely, looking more like a college guy than a teenager. He’s still pretty raw though, but that’s really something that should be expected at his age, and not an issue at this point. You can see the makings of a strong pitcher going forward, as his pitches get more consistent with reps.
Prospect Watch Archives
6/19: Henry Davis, Bubba Chandler, Julian Bosnic
6/18: Jared Jones, Matt Gorski, Tony Blanco Jr.
6/17: Liover Peguero, Dominic Perachi, Carlos Mateo
6/16: Kyle Nicolas, Anthony Solometo, Jack Brannigan
6/15: Shalin Polanco, Abrahan Gutierrez, Will Matthiessen
6/14: Nick Cimillo, Geovanny Planchart, Jesus Castillo
6/13: Brandan Bidios, Yordany De Los Santos, J.P. Massey
The Prospect Watch runs every day at noon, featuring three players from the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.
