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Prospect Watch: Rodolfo Castro Hitting Righties, Tsung-Che Cheng Hitting

Prospect Watch
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Rodolfo Castro (14) June 27, 2023 David Hague/Pirates Prospects

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Reading time: 6 min.

At the Major League level, the Pittsburgh Pirates just won two of three games against the Philadelphia Phillies, using a group of young players that they’re building around. In the minors, the Pirates saw a group of veterans with MLB experience lead Indianapolis to an 11-3 win on Sunday afternoon.

In the first half of the year, these players would have been looked upon for help as the team was short on starting options. At this point, these players will be fighting for an opportunity similar to the one Josh Palacios has right now: A chance to make up one of the final spots on the team, and we saw what Palacios did with that chance on Sunday, hitting a walk off winner.

Here’s a look at the veterans in Triple-A who could also provide MLB depth over the final two months, along with the best performers in the minor league system on Sunday.

Player of the Day

RODOLFO CASTRO, SS, INDIANAPOLIS

I wrote yesterday about how Castro was largely hitless after being sent down to Indianapolis. That changed on Saturday, when he added three hits and a home run. He maintained that pace on Sunday, going 3-for-5 with a double and another home run. Castro has been a lefty masher in the majors. His homer today came off a right-handed reliever. That would have been his first homer of the year against a right-hander, had it not been for yesterday’s homer against a right-hander. Castro is only 24, and this is exactly what you want to see: Success in the area that has kept him out of the big leagues in every previous appearance. In this case, every time he succeeds against a right-hander, it’s a positive sign.

Ten More to Follow

MIGUEL ANDUJAR, RF, INDIANAPOLIS

Andujar has been one of the best hitters in the minors for the Pirates this year. He’s in his age-28 season, with over 1,000 plate appearances in the majors, so this does come with a disclaimer. The Pirates are paying him just over $1.5 million, and he hasn’t hit in the 13 games he’s spent in Pittsburgh this year. The high salary has made it so that no other team would take a chance on him. However, he’s got three homers in the last four days, including his 14th of the season on Sunday. It would be hard to imagine a team not taking a chance on him in the final two months of the regular season.

DOMINGO LEYBA, 3B, INDIANAPOLIS

The 27-year-old Leyba has spent five games with Indianapolis, reaching base in each contest. He’s 7-for-19 with two doubles and a homer during this stretch. Leyba had 102 at-bats with Altoona, batting .343/.412/.490. Signed by the Pirates as a minor league free agent on March 8th, Leyba has made two brief appearances in the big leagues, and could make his way back by the end of the season as a depth option.

CAM ALLDRED, LHP, INDIANAPOLIS

Alldred has struggled this month in the Indianapolis rotation. Prior to Sunday’s start, he allowed 18 earned runs in 16.2 innings of work. He’s worked in a swingman role, largely filling out a rotation depleted by injuries. Alldred allowed two runs in five innings on Sunday, walking two and striking out six.

JASON DELAY, C, INDIANAPOLIS

The Pirates have no shortage of catchers at the big league level. Endy Rodriguez has taken over as the starter. Austin Hedges is the backup, getting a few starts a week. Henry Davis will be cutting into the playing time after the trade deadline. They now have Jason Delay as the main catcher in Triple-A, which should be a benefit to the pitchers each night. Delay was a benefit to the offense on Sunday, hitting three doubles.

TSUNG-CHE CHENG, 2B, ALTOONA

Cheng is one of the best pure hitters in the minor league system, although his adjustment to Double-A hasn’t been a smooth one. He doesn’t hit for much power, but added nine homers in Greensboro this year, including six on the road. Cheng homered as part of a two hit day on Sunday, getting his first in Altoona. While the start for Altoona might be slow, Cheng is heating up. He’s currently riding an eight game hitting streak, going 10-for-28 with three doubles and a homer.

JACOB GONZALEZ, 1B, ALTOONA

Gonzalez is 6′ 4″, 220 pounds, but doesn’t get a lot of power out of his tall frame. The corner player is batting .251/.313/.385 for Altoona this year. He added his seventh homer of the year in a two hit game on Sunday. It was the first homer in a little over a month. Gonzalez did go 8-for-18 this week, adding a double to his homer.

AARON SHORTRIDGE, RHP, ALTOONA

Shortridge pitched 5.1 innings for Altoona on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits as the Curve lost 4-3 to Harrisburg. The right-hander had a nice bounce back from two bad starts in a row, which saw him combine for 11 runs in 11 innings. Prior to that, Shortridge had given up three runs in 13 innings this month, with a 15:3 K/BB ratio. Sunday’s start was a move back in the right direction for Shortridge.

FRANCISCO ACUNA, 3B, GREENSBORO

The Grasshoppers only scored two runs on the day, with Acuna knocking in one on three hits. Acuna was suspended at the end of last season for PEDs, after putting up an .813 OPS with Greensboro. In 14 games this year since his return, he has a .321/.390/.528 line in 53 at-bats. Acuna doubled on Sunday, his third of the week and seventh with the Grasshoppers.

WILBER DOTEL, RHP, BRADENTON

The 20-year-old Dotel continues to impress in the Marauders rotation. Since June 15th, Dotel has been on a run with three earned runs allowed in 34.2 innings of work, spanning seven starts. He has 16 walks in that time, and 26 strikeouts. On Sunday, Dotel pitched five shutout innings, walking two and striking out one.

JESUS CASTILLO, 3B, BRADENTON

Castillo stole his 25th base of the season, moving into the system lead with Mike Jarvis. He also recorded two hits, including his second triple of the year, and knocked in three runs. The speedy infielder has an .810 OPS this month, with a bit of power toward the end of the month, which isn’t a big part of his game.

Sunday’s Minor League Results

INDIANAPOLIS (48-53) VS Louisville

Score: Indianapolis 11, Louisville 3
Indianapolis Starter: Cam Alldred, LHP (4.95)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Rodolfo Castro, SS (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI)
Attendance: 10,739

Notable Performers

  • Miguel Andujar, RF (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI)
  • Domingo Leyba, 3B (2-for-4, BB, 2B)
  • Aaron Shackelford, 2B (2-for-4, BB, 2B)
  • Jason Delay, C (3-for-3, 3 2B, BB, 3 RBI)
  • Ke’Bryan Hayes, DH (1-for-3, 2 BB)

ALTOONA (44-48) AT Harrisburg

Score: Harrisburg 4, Altoona 3
Altoona Starter: Aaron Shortridge, RHP (5.34)
–Line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Tsung-Che Cheng, 2B (2-for-4, HR)
Attendance: 3,247

Notable Performers

  • Jacob Gonzalez, 1B (2-for-4, HR)
  • Matt Fraizer, RF (2-for-3, BB)
  • Nick Dombkowski, LHP (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K)

GREENSBORO (48-45) VS Winston-Salem

Score: Winston-Salem 7, Greensboro 2
Greensboro Starter: Derek Diamond, RHP (2.57)
–Line: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Francisco Acuna, 3B (3-for-4, 2B)
Attendance: 2,588

Notable Performers

  • Joshua Loeschorn, RHP (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K)
  • Jack Carey, RHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K)
  • Jack Brannigan, 2B (1-for-3, BB, SB)
  • Jase Bowen, RF (1-for-4, SB)

BRADENTON (56-39) AT St. Lucie

Score: Bradenton 7, St. Lucie 1
Bradenton Starter: Wilber Dotel, RHP (2.40)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Jesus Castillo, 3B (2-for-4, 3B, SB, 3 RBI)
Attendance: 434

Notable Performers

  • Malcom Nunez, DH (1-for-5)
  • Deivis Nadal, CF (1-for-2, 2 BB)
Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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