Our new Prospect Watch features daily updates on three players in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system. Looking for the nightly game recaps? Check out Pirates Prospects Live:
Yesterday’s Results: New Guys Lead Pirates to Sweep of Padres
Today’s Action: Pirates Take on First Place Brewers; Bubba Chandler Starts For Greensboro
JOHN DREKER: Owen Kellington, RHP, Bradenton (A)
Owen Kellington threw four no-hit innings on Thursday night for Bradenton. It was his ninth start of the year, to go along with four relief appearances. He has a 4.57 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP, a .230 BAA and a 47:29 SO/BB ratio in 41.1 innings. He walked three and struck out four on Thursday, which is in line with his season stats.
Kellington was a fourth round pick in 2021, who signed for $600,000, which was just over his slot amount. He came from a cold weather state (Vermont), where most of the baseball players are very raw due to having shorter seasons. The reports said that he was showing low-90s velocity and the makings of a good curve. Throw in a 6’3″ frame, with room to fill out, and there was plenty of projectability for the 18-year-old right-hander.
The Pirates didn’t have Kellington pitch in games after signing. He then saw limited action in 2022 due to a hamstring injury in June, right in the middle of the short FCL season. He was bumped up to Bradenton this season, shortly after his 20th birthday. I got to watch his Thursday night start and had some thoughts.
Kellington has a strong curveball that he throws mid-70s with a tight 12-to-6 break. It’s easily his most effective pitch, plus he throws it more than any other pitch. That was true on Thursday, when at one point he threw six of them in a row, with five going for strikes. He showed a slider that had good sweeping movement, but it’s a limited use pitch that he was using to try to get chases. It wasn’t working in this game. He didn’t throw many changeups, but I saw a really nice one at 82 MPH where the bottom just dropped out for a swing-and-miss.
The big issue in this game is something that could be an issue going forward, though he’s young/inexperienced enough to improve. His fastball sat 88-91 MPH with no real control. He missed the strike zone a lot, but when he threw strikes with the pitch, he missed his target. A couple were right down the middle, one resulting in the only hard hit ball. To work at that velocity, you need movement and command. He’s got work to do, but the curve is a strong offering, and the changeup showed signs of being a good pitch, plus youth is on his side.
JEFF REED: Alika Williams, SS, Indianapolis (AAA)
The acquisition of Alika Williams didn’t come with much fanfare, and for good reason. The 2020 Competitive Balance-A pick of the Tampa Bay Rays had been a glove first infielder that hadn’t hit throughout his minor league career.
Alika had 10 games in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls across two seasons in 2021 and 2022, collecting only five hits in 26 at bats. The Pirates sent him straight to Indianapolis after being acquired for reliever Robert Stephenson, and his Buccos’ career began much the same way. Through ten games, Williams had only five hits in 33 at bats. Since then, he’s began to hit. While also showcasing some impressive plate discipline.
In the following six games, he collected seven hits through 19 at bats – including his first home run for the Pirates organization. In addition, that came with five walks to only two strike outs. Good for a 169 wRC+ with a 20.8% BB% and only 8.3% K% after only accumulating a wRC+ of 6 in his first 10 games.
Thursday evening against the Louisville Bats, he hit his second home run for the Indianapolis Indians on the season in his first at bat. In his second at bat, he hit a double, and finished the night 2-for-4 with a walk.
This is obviously a very small sample size, and should be taken with a grain of salt. But I think it’s worth at least following to see if maybe he is making some strides with the bat. He has always been a glove first player, and there hasn’t been any questions at shortstop defensively. If he starts to hit some, well, then he becomes a little more interesting paired with his defense.
JOHN DREKER: Jackson Grounds, RHP, FCL Pirates (Rk)
One of the later international signings for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2021-22 international signing period was a 17-year-old pitcher from Australia. Jackson Grounds signed with the Pirates in mid-July, but he didn’t join the team right away. He still had school to finish, though he was able to join the Pirates down in Bradenton for a time during his school break.
Grounds was an interesting signing because he was a converted catcher, who had just a year of pitching when the Pirates secured him. The scouting report from last July had him throwing 90-92 MPH already, with the ability to spin a breaking ball. He’s got a solid 6’1″ frame that had some filling out to do at the time. I’ve seen some video from this year and he looks like he has a strong build now. The belief was that he would add velocity as he got older. He was also developing his changeup at the time. There was plenty of molding to do, but all of the tools were there to succeed.
Grounds came to Spring Training this year with a spot on the Florida Complex League roster. Being a first-year player in the states, that was the best spot for him. That’s especially true since he has very little pitching experience for his age. It probably helped that the Pirates had fellow Australians Brandon Bidois and Solomon Maguire at Pirate City as well, until Bidois moved up to Low-A Bradenton. That likely made the adjustment period easier.
Grounds has been pitching as well as could be expected. He had some control issues in two of his seven games, but overall he has allowed just one earned run in ten innings. He has a .182 BAA and nine strikeouts. His outing last Monday went particularly well, retiring all four batters he faced, while stranding two inherited runners in a tie game. It’s early in his career, but this 18-year-old from down under is one to watch.
Prospect Watch Archives
6/28: Lonnie White Jr., Kelvin Diaz, Yojeiry Osoria
6/25: Quinn Priester, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Jhonson Pena
6/24: Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Adolfo Oviedo
6/23: Michael Kennedy, Po-Yu Chen, Wyatt Hendrie
6/22: Braxton Ashcraft, Jase Bowen, Maikol Escotto
6/21: Termarr Johnson, Connor Scott, Enmanuel Terrero
6/20: Cal Mitchell, Travis MacGregor, Alessandro Ercolani
The Prospect Watch runs every day at noon, featuring three players from the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.
