Saturday’s action in the Pittsburgh Pirates system was loaded with players to watch. Newly added infielder Jhonny Severino made his debut in the FCL with a home run. 2023 second rounder Mitch Jebb keeps hitting in Bradenton. And for the third start in a row, Bubba Chandler has been lights out.
Player of the Day
BUBBA CHANDLER, RHP, GREENSBORO
This is Bubba Chandler’s first year dedicated fully to pitching. The right-hander, drafted in the third round in 2021 and signed for $3 million, has shown flashes of his potential in the stat line throughout the year. On Saturday, Chandler gave up one run on two hits in five innings of work. The lone run was a leadoff homer in the second inning. Chandler struck out four and didn’t issue a walk. The last few starts have seen more consistency from Chandler. That homer was the lone run he’s allowed in 15.2 innings during the last three outings. He’s combined for six hits, four walks, and 18 strikeouts during this stretch. Chandler has dealt with big inning struggles this year, allowing many outings to spiral out of control. The fact that he was unfazed by the home run is a positive sign.
Ten More to Follow
LUIS ORTIZ, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
Ortiz has had a few rough outings since going down to Indianapolis. In his previous three starts, he allowed 14 earned runs in 9.2 innings of work. Saturday night was a much better outing, with Ortiz allowing one run on five hits in five innings. He walked three batters, but struck out eight. It was his best start since June 23rd in Miami, when he pitched eight innings, allowing one earned run.
Luis was working tonight. pic.twitter.com/9LF17svbYD
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) July 30, 2023
RODOLFO CASTRO, DH, INDIANAPOLIS
Since going down to Triple-A, Castro has not played well. Heading into Saturday’s game, he had a .095/.170/.119 line in his first ten games back with Indianapolis. On Saturday, he went 3-for-5 with a three run homer in the fifth inning, helping to fuel Indianapolis to a 6-3 victory. Castro added one more RBI, giving his team all of the runs they needed to win.
Break that tie, Rudy.
MIGUEL ANDUJAR, LF, INDIANAPOLIS
The Pirates have Andujar signed to a seven figure deal, and he makes that amount even if he’s mashing in Triple-A. Right now, he’s mashing in Triple-A. Andujar went 3-for-4 with a homer, his 13th of the season. He’s got a .363/.417/.516 line in 91 at-bats in July. If the Pirates create enough space in the majors with trades, Andujar could hit his way back to Pittsburgh for one more chance off the bench. There’s also a chance that he could hit enough to make himself valuable to another team — though the salary might reduce that value.
MIGGY. NEVER. STOPS. MASHING. pic.twitter.com/vwFjS8CkMV
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) July 30, 2023
LOLO SANCHEZ, LF, ALTOONA
Altoona ended up losing 13-3, although there was a brief moment where they held a lead. In the top of the second inning, Lolo Sanchez hit a two run homer on a full count with two outs. It was the fourth homer of the year for Sanchez, who has a .277/.333/.404 line in 47 at-bats for Altoona this month.
JACK BRANNIGAN, 2B, GREENSBORO
The Pirates took Brannigan in the third round of last year’s draft, and he’s displayed some impressive offense this year. He went 3-for-5 with his second homer of the year in Greensboro on Saturday. His first homer came the night before. He’s batting .346/.393/.692 in 26 at-bats since being promoted from Bradenton. That comes with the disclaimer that he’s mostly played at home in Greensboro in his short time at the level. This offense isn’t new, outside of the power bump, which could be part factors. He batted .253/.398/.451 with seven homers in Bradenton, adding 17 steals in 19 attempts. Having an OBP just under .400 at both levels is impressive.
MAIKOL ESCOTTO, SS, GREENSBORO
Escotto has some of the best raw power in the system, especially among middle infielders. His issue since joining the Pirates system has been hitting for average and getting on base to go with the power. That’s been an issue again this year. However, on Saturday night he went 3-for-5 with his seventh homer of the year. This snapped a four game hitless streak for Escotto.
DOMINIC PERACHI, LHP, BRADENTON
Drake Fellows made the start for the Marauders, but left with two outs. Dominic Perachi, last year’s 11th round pick, entered the game and gave up a three run homer, with two of the runs going to Fellows. Perachi settled down after the first inning, and pitched six more frames, striking out ten batters on the day. The home run was the lone run he allowed, and his only walk followed that homer. Perachi has a 4.06 ERA in 71 innings this year, with 73 strikeouts and 30 walks.
MITCH JEBB, SS, BRADENTON
The Pirates drafted Mitch Jebb in the second round of this year’s draft. His calling card was that he could hit, with an elite contact rate. That has held true in his first three games in pro ball. Jebb went 4-for-6 on Saturday night with a double. In three games, he’s 8-for-14 with two doubles and a walk.
NICK CIMILLO, DH, BRADENTON
After homering last night, Cimillo showed off his power again for Bradenton, going 3-for-5 with a double and his eighth homer of the year. Drafted in the 16th round last year out of Rutgers, Cimillo’s carrying tool is his power. He’s been showing that off over the last two months, with six homers and 13 doubles in 111 at-bats. In July, he’s batting .364/.463/.636 in 55 at-bats.
JHONNY SEVERINO, 3B, FCL PIRATES
On Thursday, the Pirates acquired Jhonny Severino in exchange for first baseman Carlos Santana. In his first game in the Pirates’ system, the infielder went 1-for-3 with a home run for the FCL Pirates. Power was already showing up in his game, with four homers in the Arizona Complex League in 48 at-bats prior to the trade. Milwaukee signed Severino for $1.23 million in January 2022.
Saturday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (47-53) VS Louisville
Score: Indianapolis 6, Louisville 3
Indianapolis Starter: Luis Ortiz, RHP (4.40)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Rodolfo Castro, DH (3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI)
Attendance: 11,006Notable Performers
- Miguel Andujar, LF (3-for-4, HR)
- Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B (0-for-4)
- Domingo Leyba, 2B-3B (1-for-2, 2 BB, HR)
- Colin Selby, RHP (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, SV)
ALTOONA (44-47) AT Harrisburg
Score: Harrisburg 13, Altoona 3
Altoona Starter: Braxton Ashcraft, RHP (1.93)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Lolo Sanchez, LF (3-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)
Attendance: 4,143Notable Performers
- Tsung-Che Cheng, 2B (2-for-4, 2B)
- Matt Fraizer, CF (1-for-4, RBI)
GREENSBORO (48-44) VS Winston-Salem
Score: Greensboro 13, Winston-Salem 4
Greensboro Starter: Bubba Chandler, RHP (5.54)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Chandler
Attendance: 6,051Notable Performers
- Josiah Sightler, 1B (3-for-5, 3 RBI)
- Jack Brannigan, 2B (3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI)
- Maikol Escotto, SS (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI)
- Luke Brown, CF (1-for-5, HR)
BRADENTON (55-39) AT St. Lucie
Score: Bradenton 10, St. Lucie 3
Bradenton Starter: Drake Fellows, RHP (27.00)
–Line: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Dominic Perachi, LHP (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 1 HR)
Attendance: 1,654Notable Performers
- Mitch Jebb, SS (4-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI)
- Nick Cimillo, DH (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI)
- Lonnie White Jr. (1-for-4, BB, HR)
- Malcom Nunez, 1B (1-for-5)
- Geovanny Planchart, C (2-for-4, BB, 2 2B)
FCL PIRATES (27-11) VS FCL Orioles
Score: Pirates 7, Orioles 6
FCL Pirates Starter: Andres Silvera, RHP (4.91)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Jhonny Severino, 3B (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI)
Attendance: N/ANotable Performers
- Jeral Toledo, 2B (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI)
- Axiel Plaz, DH (1-for-2, 2B)
