We normally have two features on Pirates Prospects that give a rundown of the farm system. John Dreker provides updates on the Top Performers from the previous period, while Jeff Reed writes a preview looking at the upcoming opponents for each level. Going forward, these two articles will be combined, giving a complete system view to start each week.
This week’s debut article coincides with the start of a new month, which means John will be writing about the best players from the month of June. That includes the Pirates Prospects Pitcher of the Month, Anthony Solometo, and Batter of the Month, Liover Peguero.
– Tim Williams
PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Anthony Solometo
Anthony Solometo got bumped up to Altoona in the middle of June and pitched even better than he did to get him the quick promotion. The 2021 37th overall pick had an 0.90 ERA over 20 innings in June, but his strong stretch dates back two starts in May.
Solometo has allowed two earned runs over 37 innings in his last seven starts combined. He’s holding batters to a .508 OPS, while striking out 40 batters over that time. It’s not like he was doing poorly before that point, but he has been the best pitching prospect in the system for the last six weeks. He’s also doing all of this at 20 years old for the entire season.
Solometo has been helped by improved velocity. He was already doing well at the lower velocity, partially due to his deceptive delivery. He’s also a lefty at the lower levels, so he really just needed to throw strikes with more than one pitch and most young batters have no chance, lefties or righties. The added velocity is the key though, as soft-tossing lefties can get sorted out quickly once they reach Double-A. Solometo is moving up the prospect charts quickly.
– John Dreker
BATTER OF THE MONTH: Liover Peguero
Liover Peguero is repeating Altoona, where he spent the entire 2022 season, except for a two-game stint with the Pirates. He got off to a slow start with a .626 OPS in April, along with the usual errors on easy plays that plague him.
Peguero picked things up a little in May on offense, posting a .787 OPS over 26 games, with 13 extra-base hits and seven steals. His month of June was very impressive. He had a .307/.375/.594 slash line in 112 plate appearances over 24 games. He had 20 runs, eight doubles, seven homers, six steals and a 17.9% strikeout rate.
Peguero’s .803 OPS this season is well above Eastern League average (.727). He has 20 doubles, 11 homers and 19 stolen bases. He also committed just two errors in June, after six in April and five in May. That’s while switching between second base and shortstop. He’s also two years younger than the average player in the league.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move up to Indianapolis at some point in the near future.
– John Dreker
LAST MONTH, THIS WEEK
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
LAST MONTH’S BEST… by John Dreker
Miguel Andujar, OF/INF – Andujar received strong consideration for the Batter of the Month, despite his big league experience providing a huge asterisk. He hit .362/.430/.585 in 107 plate appearances, with 19 runs, ten doubles, three homers and 23 RBIs. He has easily been the best hitter for Indianapolis throughout the entire season, but it didn’t translate to success during his big league trial this year.
Nick Gonzalez, INF – Before he got called up to the Pirates, he was hitting .270/.441/.460 over 84 plate appearances for Indianapolis. He had eight extra-base hits and 17 walks. He had solid stats before June started, albeit with a huge strikeout rate that he improved in June.
Jared Triolo, 3B/SS – Before he joined the Pirates for his big league debut, Triolo hit .315/.400/.507 in 85 plate appearances last month. He had nine extra-base hits, 11 walks and he went 7-for-8 in steals. That’s coming from someone whose best tool is defense.
Ryan Vilade, OF – He hit .304/.433/.456 over 97 plate appearances in June, with eight extra-base hits and 18 walks. His .889 OPS was easily his best over the first three months of the season. Vilade is still just 24 years old, so his age is fine for being in Triple-A.
Cam Alldred, LHP – Alldred stepped into the Indianapolis rotation and has pitched well in the role. He finished April with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 27.2 innings. The Pirates gave him a brief trial last year. It’s possible that they give him a lefty role at some point this season as well, especially if he continues to pitch well in extended action.
Jared Jones, RHP – Jones had good timing to make this list. His start on July 1st would have knocked him out of consideration. He posted a 3.04 ERA during June, with starts in Altoona and Indianapolis, while doing much better at the lower level. He had 23 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP over 26.2 innings for the month. He’s just 21 years old, so it’s impressive that he’s already made three starts in Triple-A.
THE WEEK AHEAD… by Jeff Reed
The Indians will go from facing one NL Central organizational foe in the Louisville Bats, right into facing another. They head home to take on St. Louis Cardinals affiliate Memphis Redbirds. The Redbirds have ten of the Cardinals top 30 prospects, with two of them on the injured list. The leader of the pack is top 100 prospect Masyn Winn. He started off the year slow, but has caught fire recently. RHP Gordon Graceffo and Ivan Herrera were each a top 100 prospect at one point or another. Graceffo has had an up and down season, while Herrera has a near 1.000 OPS.
Opponent: MEMPHIS (CARDINALS)
Opponent Stats
Team OPS: .786 OPS
Rank: 13/20
Team ERA: 4.92
ERA Rank: 7/20
Top Prospects
Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking
- MASYN WINN | SS | 1
- MLB Pipeline Top 100: #45
- GORDON GRACEFFO | RHP | 3
- MICHAEL MCGREEVY | RHP | 5
- IVAN HERRERA | C | 6
- MOISES GOMEZ | OF | 11
- CONNOR THOMAS (7-Day IL) | LHP | 14
- JAKE WALSH | RHP | 21
- RYAN LOUTOS | RHP | 23
- GUILLERMO ZUNIGA (7-Day IL) | RHP | 27
- LUKEN BAKER | 1B | 30
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
LAST MONTH’S BEST… by John Dreker
Braxton Ashcraft, RHP – He came back this year from Tommy John surgery, which cost him the end of 2021 and all of 2022. He’s already been boosted two levels, while working on short pitch counts due to the time off. Ashcraft posted a 2.20 ERA over 16.1 innings in June, with three walks and 21 strikeouts. He’s an efficient strike-thrower, who works quickly, even with the pitch clock trying to speed things up. It will be interesting to see how high he goes this year with a Rule 5 draft coming up this winter.
Nick Dombkowski, LHP – He posted a 2.04 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP over 17.2 innings last month. The 24-year-old lefty pitched even better in April, but he was hit hard throughout May, so June was a nice bounce back. He was a non-drafted free agent signing just two years ago out of college.
THE WEEK AHEAD… by Jeff Reed
The top prospect and lone top 100 representative for the Erie Seawolves was recently promoted to Triple-A. Colt Keith moves on, but the Detroit Tigers affiliate still carries eleven of the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, with only one player on the injured list. Wilmer Flores headlines the group along with Ty Madden. Flores was among the top 100 prospects, until early season struggles saw him fall off. He has turned it around lately, giving up only seven earned runs in his last seven starts covering 35.1 IP.
Opponent: ERIE (TIGERS)
Opponent Stats
Team OPS: .777 OPS
Rank: 3/12
Team ERA: 4.36
ERA Rank: 7/12
Top Prospects
Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking
- WILMER FLORES | RHP | 4
- TY MADDEN | RHP | 5
- WENCEEL PEREZ | 2B | 8
- DILLON DINGLER | C | 14
- DYLAN SMITH (7-Day IL) | RHP | 15
- BRANT HURTER | LHP | 21
- TYLER MATTISON | RHP | 25
- AUSTIN BERGNER | RHP | 26
- GAGE WORKMAN | SS | 28
- DANNY SERRETTI | SS/2B | 29
- KEIDER MONTERO | RHP | 30
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
LAST MONTH’S BEST… by John Dreker
Jase Bowen, OF – He had 104 plate appearances for the month, putting up a .264/.375/.506 slash line, which was highlighted by six homers. Bowen had a strong April, followed by a very slow May, which gives him an .803 OPS through the end of June, with 15 homers and 11 steals.
Po-Yu Chen, RHP – Greensboro pitchers always deserve a bit of extra credit due to their home stadium. Chen led the system in innings last month, while posting a 3.34 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. His 7.31 ERA in April is going to skew his season starts, but he has put up a 2.96 ERA over his last nine starts, so he’s on a nice roll.
THE WEEK AHEAD… by Jeff Reed
The star of the week will be with the Aberdeen Ironbirds visiting Greensboro. 2022 MLB Draft first overall pick Jackson Holliday comes to town with the Baltimore Orioles’ affiliate. He is the #1 prospect on Pipeline, and soon to be with Baseball America as Elly De La Cruz is quickly coming up to graduating. This will be a good matchup for Pirates 2022 college draft picks Thomas Harrington and JP Massey.
Opponent: ABERDEEN (ORIOLES)
Opponent Stats
Team OPS: .696 OPS
Rank: 10/12
Team ERA: 3.72
ERA Rank: 3/12
Top Prospects
Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking
- JACKSON HOLLIDAY | SS | 1
- MLB Pipeline Top 100: #1
- Baseball America Top 100: #2
- DYLAN BEAVERS | OF | 9
- MAX WAGNER | 3B | 12
- FREDERICK BENCOSME | SS | 20
- SILAS ARDOIN | C | 29
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
LAST MONTH’S BEST… by John Dreker
Jack Brannigan, 3B – Brannigan hit .247/.396/.520 for the month in 96 plate appearances. He had 20 runs, three doubles, six homers, 14 RBIs, 16 walks and seven steals in eight attempts. That was after he had a .505 OPS in 11 May games, after returning from an injury that cost him five weeks of action.
Shalin Polanco, OF – Polanco hit .300/.343/.567 over 99 plate appearances in June. He finished with 15 runs, six doubles, six homers, 18 RBIs and eight steals in nine attempts. Polanco had a rough April, followed by a strong May, though his strikeouts that month were rough. He improved that slightly in June, while adding 100 points to his slugging percentage. He’s starting to show why the Pirates gave him such a high bonus ($2.35M) three years ago. He’s also playing this entire season at 19 years old.
Enmanuel Terrero, OF – Terrero got off to an amazing start, putting up a .950 OPS in April. He slowed down in May, posting a .686 OPS over 100 plate appearances. He was back to his early season pace in June, hitting .313/.402/.500 over 92 plate appearances. He has 17 extra-base hits and 16 steals this year.
Alessandro Ercolani, RHP – He turned 19 during the season, but Ercolani already looks like a strong prospect on the mound thanks to improved velocity this year, as he’s consistently averaging mid-90s with his fastball. He had a rough April, which got better in May, though his 3.78 ERA hid some issues he had with too many base runners. He continued to improve in June, posting a 2.14 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 21 innings.
THE WEEK AHEAD… by Jeff Reed
Since it’s impossible to get away without talking about the Cincinnati Reds as of late, the Bradenton Marauders take on their affiliate the Daytona Tortugas this week. The main name is the same one as all season for the Tortugas with Cam Collier. The Tortugas have gotten off to a blazing start in the Florida State League East division in the second half, where Clearwater is once again leading the West division. If the Marauders are going to want to keep pace, they’ll need to pull out some victories this week.
Opponent: DAYTONA (TORTUGAS)
Opponent Stats
Team OPS: .710 OPS
Rank: 6/10
Team ERA: 4.14
ERA Rank: 4/10
Top Prospects
Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking
- CAM COLLIER | 3B | 4
- MLB Pipeline Top 100: #57
- Baseball America Top 100: #64
- SAL STEWART | 3B | 8
- CARLOS JORGE | 2B | 13
- VICTOR ACOSTA | SS | 14
- LOGAN TANNER (Full Season IL) | C | 16
- BRYCE HUBBART | LHP | 17
- ARIEL ALMONTE | OF | 18
- LEONARDO BALCAZAR (Full Season IL) | SS | 21
- HECTOR RODRIGUEZ | OF | 24
FCL PIRATES
LAST MONTH’S BEST… by John Dreker
Yordany De Los Santos, INF – He was the biggest bonus from the players signed by the Pirates at the start of the 2021-22 international signing period. De Los Santos moved up to the U.S. this year and he’s off to a strong start, with a .356/.420/.509 slash line over 69 plate appearances. He had 14 runs, six doubles, a homer, 14 RBIs and 12 steals in 13 attempts. He turned 18 years old back in February.
Michael Kennedy, LHP – Last year’s fourth round pick is off to a nice start to his pro career, except for some issues with control. He allowed one run on five hits, with 11 walks and 23 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. The lefty caveats mentioned for Solometo apply here. Kennedy is throwing high 80s right now, and not really with good control, but young batters just don’t see good lefties often, so he’s dominating while getting in his work at the right level for him.
