The strength of this Pittsburgh Pirates team is clearly on the pitching side. The top prospects in the system are pitchers. The depth of the system is mostly pitching. The sleepers in the system are even pitchers.
This past week was the first full week of games for all of the minor league affiliates. It is no surprise that the pitching led the way. It wasn’t just top prospect Paul Skenes, or fellow top 100 prospect Bubba Chandler. The Pirates got results from sleepers in A-ball who fall in the bottom half or outside of the top 30.
Below are the best performers throughout the system from this past week, led by that pitching.
The Pitchers
Paul Skenes, RHP, Indianapolis – Skenes made his third start of the season on Friday, and struck out eight batters of the ten he retired. He pitched 3.1 shutout innings, allowing a walk and three hits. For the first time this year, Skenes pitched into the fourth inning. He also increased his pitch count, ending up with 55 pitches after finishing in the 40-50 range in the last two starts. At this rate, you could expect Skenes to go at least four innings next time out, as long as he has enough pitches. You could probably anticipate at least 60 pitches, as the Pirates slowly bring him along.
Kyle Nicolas, RHP, Indianapolis – Nicolas made two appearances in relief this year for Indianapolis. He combined for 3.1 shutout innings, allowing one hit, three walks, and striking out six. On the season, Nicolas has a 1.17 ERA in 7.2 innings, with eight strikeouts, seven walks, and just two hits allowed. The control is the big thing that holds him back from the big leagues, but the strikeouts and lack of hits make him an appealing relief prospect.
Bubba Chandler, RHP, Altoona – Chandler’s second start of the 2024 season led to four no-hit innings against Toledo. He allowed two walks and struck out six, getting whiffs from a fastball that sat 94-98 with lively action. Chandler now has 18 strikeouts in 12.1 innings across three starts at the Double-A level.
Wilber Dotel, RHP, Greensboro – Dotel made two appearances this past week. In his 2024 debut, the right-hander threw four shutout innings, allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out five. His start on Sunday wasn’t as good, with three walks and one hit, and an early exit after 1.1 innings. He didn’t allow a run, so in total he threw 5.1 shutout frames this week.
Alessandro Ercolani, RHP, Greensboro – Ercolani turns 20 years old this Saturday. In his High-A debut, the right-hander from San Marino went four shutout frames, allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out five. Ercolani is young, but has an advanced mix of pitches, with swing and miss stuff. He struck out 66 in 65 innings last year in Single-A. One thing to watch this year will be his control. He walked 31 last year, and the free passes led to a 4.43 ERA. His first start was encouraging for many reasons, but especially due to the control shown.
Hunter Barco, LHP, Greensboro – The Pirates added Barco as a second rounder in 2022, despite the lefty from Florida returning from Tommy John. This is his first full season of pro ball, and he’s off to a great start. Barco went four shutout innings this past week, giving him seven shutout frames on the season. He allowed two hits, no walks, and struck out four. He now has ten strikeouts in his seven innings of work. Barco made his brief debut last year, and struck out 19 in 10.2 innings in Single-A. He’s 24 years old, but has advanced stuff with swing and miss ability that could get him to Altoona by the end of the year.
Patrick Reilly, RHP, Greensboro – Reilly allowed two runs on three hits in four innings with Greensboro this week. The encouraging thing is Reilly struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. He now has 14 strikeouts and one walk in 7.1 innings this year. Reilly had 19 strikeouts and eight walks last year in 10.2 innings. He’s resumed the mid-90s fastball and slider/curveball duo to generate swing and miss. The improved control this year makes him a guy to follow.
Michael Kennedy, LHP, Bradenton – The stat line from Kennedy wasn’t as encouraging as some of the other pitchers on this list. He gave up two runs in 3.1 innings, allowing six hits. He makes the list for his six strikeouts and one walk. Kennedy got a lot of swing and miss from his slider, and managed good control and strike ability with his 90 MPH fastball that had movement. He has a 6.43 ERA in two starts this year, but has strikeout ability from two pitches that move from the left side.
The Hitters
Liover Peguero, SS, Indianapolis – Peguero went 8-for-24 at the plate this past week, picking up two doubles and a home run. The highlight came on Tuesday, when he went 4-for-5 with a double. His first homer of the year came in the first game of a double header on Saturday, as part of a two hit game.
Nick Gonzales, 2B, Indianapolis – Gonzales picked up a hit in every game this past week, going 6-for-21 with four doubles. Gonzales has a hit in 13 of his 14 games this year, and has reached base safely in every game he’s played. His strikeouts have been reduced, even this week when he struck out five times in 21 plate appearances. Gonzales is batting .362/.413/.552 on the season.
Malcom Nunez, 3B, Indianapolis – Nunez went 5-for-19, capping his week with a double on Saturday and his third homer of the season on Sunday. The power hitting corner infielder is batting .271/.302/.521, showing off the power results, but struggling with his walk and strikeout rates.
Aaron Shackelford, 1B, Altoona – Shackelford is 27 years old, and has already posted a 26 home run season at the Double-A level. He’s expected to hit for power at this level at this stage. That’s what he did this past week, hitting two homers on Tuesday, with two doubles on Wednesday. Between the two games, Shackelford knocked in eight runs for Altoona, which definitely helps the pitching staff, at the least.
Abrahan Gutierrez, C, Altoona – Gutierrez picked up a hit in every single game played this week. The catcher also had his first extra base hit of the season with a double on Saturday. He has only struck out three times this year, and hasn’t struck out since his first game. Gutierrez makes hard contact, and should see increased extra base hits as the season goes on.
Tsung-Che Cheng, SS, Altoona – Cheng didn’t make this list this week for his bat, but instead for his patience. The shortstop walked seven times, while going 3-for-12 at the plate. He also stole three bases after getting on with the walks. Cheng made some web gems at shortstop, but also picked up a few errors. It was a mixed week that showed the good and bad from one of the top position players in the system.
Lonnie White Jr., OF, Greensboro – White was one of the best hitters in the system this week. The 2021 over-slot outfielder went 7-for-21 with two home runs, two doubles, and a triple. He now has four home runs this season in eight games, showing off impressive power potential. There is some swing and miss to his game right now, leading to six strikeouts this week and only one walk. The power potential of his bat makes him a guy to follow every game.
Omar Alfonzo, C/1B, Bradenton – Alfonzo went 7-for-17 this week for Bradenton, with a double and his first homer of the season. He also walked three times, and struck out three times. He’s got a promising future behind the plate, but also has shown the bat and power to justify playing him at first base. His MLB future resides behind the plate.
