Monday featured a few rookie level games, including Braylon Bishop hitting his first homer of the year in the FCL. The daily results can be found below. First, let’s look at the Players of the Week, led by recent addition Joe Perez.
Player of the Week
JOE PEREZ, RF, ALTOONA
The Pirates signed Joe Perez recently, after he was released by Houston. Perez was batting .255/.328/.399 with ten homers in 357 plate appearances for the Astros’ Triple-A squad. Since joining Altoona, he has a .375/.412/.719 line with three homers in 34 plate appearances. All three of those homers came this week, as he went 10-for-25 in his first full week of action in the Pirates’ system.
Ten More to Follow
QUINN PRIESTER, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
Priester was sent down to the minors, after a 9.10 ERA in his first six starts in the big leagues. His return to Indianapolis saw him throw four shutout innings, allowing four hits, three walks, and striking out six.
NICK GONZALES, 2B, INDIANAPOLIS
Gonzales batted .429/.500/.667 with one homer in 24 plate appearances this week. Since returning to the minors, Gonzales has a .318/.444/.455 line, but more importantly, a 24% strikeout rate and a 16.7% walk rate.
TERMARR JOHNSON, 2B, GREENSBORO
Johnson entered the week homering in his third straight game. He was hit in the hand with a pitch, mid-week. He returned and hit a grand slam in his first game back. Johnson went 6-for-17 with two homers on the week.
THOMAS HARRINGTON, RHP, GREENSBORO
Harrington has been one of the standouts from the 2022 draft class. Selected 36th overall, he has pitched in Bradenton and Greensboro this year. He’s got a 4.15 ERA in 69.1 innings, and an 85:20 K/BB with Greensboro. This past week, Harrington went seven innings, allowing one run on two walks and two hits, striking out eight. The lone run came on a solo homer in the eighth inning, before Harrington was pulled. Check out my live game report for more on Harrington.
LUKE BROWN, OF, GREENSBORO
I liked what I saw out of Luke Brown this week. The outfielder had a nice line drive stroke, going 7-for-18 with a double and a home run. The homer was one of the longest of the week for Greensboro, and the fourth of the year for the 2021 ninth rounder. Brown was aggressive on the bases, going 3-for-3.
WYATT HENDRIE, C, GREENSBORO
Hendrie is one of the better defensive catchers in the system. This week he brought the bat to the Greensboro lineup. Hendrie went 5-for-14, hitting two home runs. Hendrie also stole three bases in three attempts.
VALENTIN LINAREZ, RHP, GREENSBORO
Linarez made two appearances, combining for five innings of shutout ball with Greensboro. His fastball was 95-96, working with steep downward angle. He paired that with a low-80s slider which helped him to nine strikeouts between the two appearances.
JADEN WOODS, LHP, BRADENTON
Woods made two appearances this week in Bradenton, combining to allow just one hit in four innings, with no runs or walks, and seven strikeouts. The Pirates drafted Woods in the seventh round this year out of Georgia.
MICHAEL KENNEDY, LHP, FCL PIRATES
The Pirates drafted Kennedy in the fourth round last year, giving him an over-slot deal. The lefty has a 2.13 ERA in 42.1 innings this year. He’s struck out 55 and walked 19. This past week, Kennedy threw 4.2 no-hit innings, allowing a run on three walks and two hit batters, with five strikeouts.
RICHARD RAMIREZ, C, DSL PIRATES GOLD
The Pirates signed Ramirez in January 2022 out of Venezuela. The catcher is in his second year in the DSL, with better results this year. He’s batting .252/.361/.476 on the season with five homers in 122 plate appearances. Ramirez went 6-for-14 with two doubles and two homers this past week.
Monday’s Home Runs
- Braylon Bishop, RF, FCL Pirates (1)
- Angel Perez, C, DSL Pirates Black (5)
Monday’s Minor League Results
FCL PIRATES (31-23) VS FCL Rays
Score: Pirates 7, Rays
FCL Pirates Starter: Carlos Jimenez, RHP (2.79)
–Line: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Braylon Bishop, RF (2-for-4, 2B, HR [1])
Notable Performers
- Jarel Toledo, 2B (2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI)
- Joaquin Tejada, RHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K)
DSL PIRATES BLACK (17-33) VS DSL Red Sox Red
Score: Red Sox 6, Pirates 3
Pirates Black Starter: Jose Regalado, RHP (6.45)
–Line: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Angel Perez, C (1-for-3, BB, HR [5])
DSL PIRATES GOLD (41-12) VS DSL Tigers 1
Score: Pirates 6, Tigers 5
Pirates Gold Starter: Inmer Lobo, LHP (1.62)
–Line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Eduardo Oviedo, CF (3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI)
