Tuesday’s action across the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system saw the debuts of a few 2023 draft picks, some roster shuffling after a day of trades, and two very strong pitching performances that bookend the daily player reports below.
Player of the Day
THOMAS HARRINGTON, RHP, GREENSBORO
It’s always impressive when a pitcher shuts down opponents in the hitter friendly confines in Greensboro. Thomas Harrington did that for seven innings on Tuesday night, allowing one run on four hits, with one walk and a season-high 11 strikeouts. This wasn’t the first time that Harrington had this level of success at home in Greensboro. He threw seven shutout innings with two hits, no walks, and eight strikeouts on June 8th. The Pirates drafted Harrington with the 36th overall pick in 2023. He has a 4.36 ERA in 53.2 innings, along with a 67:13 K/BB ratio.
Ten More to Follow
MIGUEL ANDUJAR, LF, INDIANAPOLIS
The trade deadline passed and Miguel Andujar was still in Triple-A. The Pirates traded Rodolfo Castro to the Phillies. They called up Vinny Capra, Jason Delay, and activated Ke’Bryan Hayes. This followed a long stretch of hitting from Andujar, who seems to be more veteran presence in Triple-A at this point. He showed that today, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs in the 7-5 Indianapolis win.
KYLE NICOLAS, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
The Pirates went with an opener tonight in Indianapolis. Duane Underwood Jr. pitched two shutout innings, allowing one walk and striking out four. Kyle Nicolas followed with three innings, giving up a run on two hits, with four walks and two strikeouts. Three of those walks and one of those hits led to his lone run in his final inning of work.
BEAU SULSER, RHP, ALTOONA
The Pirates signed 29-year-old Beau Sulser on June 29th, and he’s been filling out the Altoona rotation for the last month. Tonight he went five innings of shutout ball, allowing one hit and one walk. In his last outing, he allowed one unearned run on four hits in four innings.
TRES GONZALES, LF, GREENSBORO
The Pirates drafted Gonzales in the fifth round last year. After starting his season in Bradenton, he’s moved up to High-A, where his power has increased at home over the last month. In July, Gonzales hit .321/.418/.512 with three homers. During his first month of the season with Bradenton, he hit .299/.427/.403 with one homer.
JASE BOWEN, CF, GREENSBORO
Bowen hit his 19th home run of the year for Greensboro, and is now batting .270/.351/.497 on the season. His power has been partially fueled by Greensboro’s home ballpark, with 13 home runs coming at home in 156 at-bats, versus six in 174 at-bats on the road. He’s maintained a .347 OBP on the road, plus a .166 isolated power mark fueled by four triples. Bowen has speed and can get on base, and is absolutely crushing the ball at home this year.
NICK CIMILLO, DH, GREENSBORO
Cimillo was promoted to Greensboro on Tuesday, joining Termarr Johnson. The first baseman made his debut, going 1-for-2 with a walk. Cimillo hit his way to his promotion in July, batting .345/.458/.603 with three homers in 58 at-bats. Read more about the daily promotions here.
LONNIE WHITE JR., CF, BRADENTON
White had a big night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, triple, and two walks. He made his season debut in June, batting.310/.412/.431 in 58 at-bats. His numbers struggled in July, dropping to a .211/.370/.316 with two homers in 57 at-bats. The offense and power started to resurge at the end of the month. White homered on July 29th, and added a double and triple today. He’s had more bases in his last three games than he did during the previous eight game stretch.
GARRET FORRESTER, 3B, BRADENTON
The Pirates drafted Forrester in the third round this year out of Oregon State. Making his pro debut, he went 1-for-2, walking three times. The third baseman excels at pitch recognition. He also has a quick bat and keeps the barrel through the zone for a long period of time. Read more about Forrester here.
CHARLES MCADOO, 2B, BRADENTON
McAdoo was drafted out of San Jose State in the 13th round, and made his pro debut tonight. He went 1-for-2 with three walks and two RBIs. His first professional hit was an RBI single in the seventh, which scored White. McAdoo posted a .409 OBP with San Jose State this year, and his plate patience stood out the last two years. Read more about McAdoo here.
MICHAEL KENNEDY, LHP, FCL PIRATES
Kennedy entered the game in the third inning for the Pirates, after Carlos Jimenez went two innings in his second start of the year. Kennedy followed with five shutout innings, allowing no walks and striking out eight. The left-hander was drafted last year in the fourth round out of high school. He’s got a 2.48 ERA in 32.2 innings in rookie ball this year, with a 45:16 K/BB. His walk rate in today’s game was encouraging.
Tuesday’s Home Runs
- Jase Bowen, CF, Greensboro (19)
- Tres Gonzales, LF, Greensboro (6)
Tuesday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (49-53) AT Gwinnett
Score: Indianapolis 7, Gwinnett 5
Indianapolis Starter: Duane Underwood Jr., RHP (6.75)
–Line: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Miguel Andujar, LF (4-for-5, 2B, 5 RBI)
Attendance: 1,519
Notable Performers
- Kyle Nicolas, RHP (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 0 HR)
- Canaan Smith-Njigba, RF (2-for-4, BB)
- Grant Koch, C (3-for-4, 2B)
- Ji Hwan Bae, 2B (0-for-2, BB)
ALTOONA (45-48) VS Richmond
Score: Altoona 1, Richmond 0
Altoona Starter: Beau Sulser, RHP (3.86)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Sulser
Attendance: 5,618
Notable Performers
- Justin Meis, RHP (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR)
- Tahnaj Thomas, RHP (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR)
- Jackson Glenn, 3B (1-for-3, BB)
GREENSBORO (49-45) VS Asheville
Score: Greensboro 4, Asheville 2
Greensboro Starter: Thomas Harrington, RHP (4.36)
–Line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Tres Gonzales, LF (1-for-4, HR [6], 3 RBI)
Attendance: 3,244
Notable Performers
- Jase Bowen, CF (1-for-3, HR[19])
BRADENTON (56-40) VS Tampa
Score: Tampa 15, Bradenton 6
Bradenton Starter: Hung-Leng Chang, RHP (11.05)
–Line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
Player of the Game: Lonnie White Jr., CF (2-for-3, 2 BB, 2B, 3B, 2 R)
Attendance: 585
Notable Performers
- Jesus Castillo (3-for-6, SB[26])
- Mitch Jebb, SS (2-for-6)
- Garret Forrester, 3B (1-for-2, 3 BB)
- Charles McAdoo, 2B (1-for-2, 3 BB, 2 RBI)
- Landon Tomkins, RHP (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K)
FCL PIRATES (28-12) VS FCL Rays
Score: Rays 5, Pirates 3
FCL Pirates Starter: Carlos Jimenez, RHP (3.86)
–Line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Michael Kennedy, LHP (5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0 HR)
Attendance: N/A
Notable Performers
- Jeral Toledo, 2B (3-for-4, BB, 2 RBI)
DSL PIRATES BLACK (14-23) VS DSL Red Sox Blue
Score: Red Sox 4, Pirates 1 (Suspended, 4th inning)
DSL PIRATES GOLD (27-12) VS DSL Tigers 2
Score: Pirates 2, Tigers 0
Pirates Gold Starter: Pitterson Rosa, RHP (4.81)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Juan Machado, LF (2-for-2, 3B, RBI)
