Today’s Prospect Watch looks back at the month of July to see who the best players were at each level of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ development system. Josiah Sightler leads the way as the Player of the Month, after nearly batting .500 across both levels of A-ball.
Lonnie White Jr. led the way in Wednesday’s action with a double and his third homer of the year. Check out the daily results below the monthly winners.
Player of the Month
JOSIAH SIGHTLER, 1B, BRADENTON
Drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round of the 2022 draft, Sightler didn’t make his pro debut until June of this year, and didn’t arrive in A-ball until June 29th. During the month of July in Bradenton, he batted .536/.583/.964 with six homers in 72 plate appearances. The slugger from South Carolina didn’t stop there. He was promoted to Greensboro at the end of the month, and batted .368/.478/.579 with one homer in 23 plate appearances. Between the two A-ball levels, Sightler had a .493/.558/.867 line with seven homers. The 23-year-old was beating up on younger competition, but he was also making his pro debut and getting a hit in every other at-bat. That’s phenomenal at any age and any level.
Individual Levels
ALIKA WILLIAMS, SS, INDIANAPOLIS
Wouldn’t it be great if the Pirates struck gold in Alika Williams? Acquired in June for Robert Stephenson, the strong defensive shortstop posted a .343/.405/.612 line with four homers in 76 plate appearances during the month of July. Williams hasn’t been a strong hitter during his career. He had an OPS of .683 in the month prior to the trade, and struggled in the week following the deal. His offense improved after that, leading to the results in July, and a promotion to the big leagues. Williams has posted a .607 OPS at the major league level so far, making him a Clint Barmes-level starter at the very least with his defense. If the offense carries over from his month in July, he could end up being a steal and a win for the upper level development team.
NICK DOMBKOWSKI, LHP, ALTOONA
The Pirates have been using Nick Dombkowski as an opener and a multi-inning reliever in Altoona. The lefty has been getting more innings per appearance since the beginning of June. In July, he started with two runs across 5.2 innings in a start. He followed with 10.1 shutout innings in relief across four appearances. Dombkowski had a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings during the month of July, with a 12:3 K/BB ratio.
BUBBA CHANDLER, RHP, GREENSBORO
The first start of the month for Bubba Chandler wasn’t a good one. He allowed five runs in 5.1 innings of work, giving up nine hits and three walks. He followed with a 12 day break. His next three starts saw him give up one run in 15.2 innings of work, striking out 18 and walking four. Those were the best run of starts in his career. Even with the bad start at the beginning of the month, Chandler had a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings, with a 24:7 K/BB.
ESMERLYN VALDEZ, SS, FCL PIRATES
Valdez is returning to the FCL this year, after batting .232/.371/.394 at the level as an 18-year-old. The outfielder has improved his offense this year, and carried that over into July in a big way. He batted .410/.456/.590 with two homers. Valdez had a hit in all but one of his starts. He was seen as having a lot of raw power potential when he signed, and is taking a step forward this year with the bat.
DARIEL FRANCIA, RHP, DSL PIRATES
Francia turned 17 years old on July 23rd. The next day, he went three innings in the DSL, allowing one run on three hits, with two walks and five strikeouts. His entire month went that way, combining for a 1.56 ERA in 17.1 innings across five starts. Francia struck out 22 and walked nine. He was a low profile signing this past January, with good athleticism, a clean delivery, and the chance to add velocity to his 6′ 2″, 165 pound frame as he fills out.
Player of the Day 8/2/23
LONNIE WHITE JR., CF, BRADENTON
The Pirates drafted White with the 64th overall pick in 2021, as part of the strategy to load up on prep players in the middle rounds. He dealt with injuries to begin his career, and is finally getting his first regular playing time in pro ball. On Wednesday, White hit his fourth home run of the year, while also adding a double. This follows a day where he went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple.
Ten More to Follow
ANDRE JACKSON, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
The Pirates added Andre Jackson at the end of June from the Dodgers for cash considerations. He’s in his age-27 season, so he’s not a prospect to follow. The Pirates went with him as an opener tonight for Kent Emanuel, with the latter pitcher going five innings. Jackson opened with a shutout inning and one strikeout.
YOHAN RAMIREZ, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
Ramirez pitched 1.2 perfect innings to close out the game, striking out four batters in the process. Since being sent back down to Indianapolis, Ramirez has allowed one run in 4.2 innings across four appearances.
ANTHONY SOLOMETO, LHP, ALTOONA
When he first arrived in Altoona, Anthony Solometo had some lights out starts. The Double-A level appears to be adjusting to him a bit, but he’s still holding his own. On Wednesday, Solometo allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings, giving up one walk and striking out three.
TSUNG-CHE CHENG, SS, ALTOONA
Cheng only recorded one hit in four at-bats on Wednesday. That hit extended his active streak to ten games. The shortstop hasn’t hit for a lot of power at the Double-A level, but makes contact enough to have hitting streaks of eight and now the current ten gamer.
MAIKOL ESCOTTO, SS, GREENSBORO
Escotto is starting to show some of his raw power in games lately. He went 1-for-3 with a home run on Wednesday, making that his second homer in his last three games. He’s a streaky hitter, adding three homers in four days in late June, before going over a month without his next longball.
JOSHUA LOESCHORN, RHP, GREENSBORO
Loeschorn was recently promoted from Bradenton to Greensboro. Last year’s 20th round pick got the start on Wednesday, striking out four in three perfect innings of work. The swingman right-hander allowed three runs in 7.2 innings across his first three appearances, striking out nine and walking one.
VALENTIN LINAREZ, RHP, GREENSBORO
Linarez is a big framed pitcher who worked as a starter last year. He’s had more success this year as a single-inning reliever, extending out into a once-through guy. Last night he threw a perfect fifth inning, striking out the side.
JACK CAREY, RHP, GREENSBORO
The Pirates drafted Carey in the 11th round of the 2021 draft. He’s pitched well in the Greensboro bullpen this year, and currently has a stretch of 8.1 shutout innings, with an 11:3 K/BB ratio during that stretch.
LUIS PERALTA, LHP, BRADENTON
Peralta got the start for the Marauders, throwing 3.2 shutout innings, with three hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. The lefty made a few single-inning appearances in July, before returning to the rotation on July 26th with two runs in four innings. He struck out seven in that start.
OWEN SHARTS, RHP, BRADENTON
The Pirates drafted Sharts in the 13th round of the 2021 draft. He’s been in the Bradenton bullpen this year, with bad results through the first two months of the year. In July, he allowed three runs in 7.1 innings across five appearances. Last night he followed that run with 2.1 shutout innings, striking out three.
Wednesday’s Home Runs
- Maikol Escotto, SS, Greensboro (8)
- Lonnie White Jr., CF, Bradenton (3)
Wednesday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (49-54) AT Gwinnett
Score: Gwinnett 6, Indianapolis 0
Indianapolis Starter: Andre Jackson, LHP (3.38)
–Line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Miguel Andujar, RF (2-for-4, 2B)
Attendance: 1,505
Notable Performers
- Kent Emanuel, LHP (5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR)
- Yohan Ramirez, RHP (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR)
ALTOONA (45-48) VS Richmond
Score: Richmond 7, Altoona 0
Altoona Starter: Anthony Solometo, LHP (3.48)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Player of the Game: Solometo
Attendance: 3,591
Notable Performers
- Chavez Young, DH (1-for-2, BB)
- Tsung-Che Cheng, SS (1-for-4)
GREENSBORO (50-45) VS Asheville
Score: Greensboro 4, Asheville 3
Greensboro Starter: Joshua Loeschorn, RHP (3.52)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Loeschorn
Attendance: 2,550
Notable Performers
- Maikol Escotto, SS (1-for-3, HR [8])
- Valentin Linarez, RHP (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
- Jack Carey, RHP (2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K)
BRADENTON (57-40) VS Tampa
Score: Bradenton 3, Tampa 2
Bradenton Starter: Luis Peralta, LHP (5.67)
–Line: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Lonnie White Jr., CF (2-for-4, 2B, HR [3])
Attendance: 462
Notable Performers
- Owen Sharts, RHP (2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
