The Indianapolis Indians won 11-3 on Memorial Day, led by the ninth home run of the season by Matt Gorski. The Indianapolis offense also got a double from Henry Davis, a double and two walks from Liover Peguero, and a triple in the first game from Jack Suwinski.
Isaac Mattson got the start, throwing two no-hit innings, with three walks and one strikeout. Four Indianapolis relievers allowed three runs over the remaining seven innings on a bullpen day.
The offense from Indianapolis was a theme this week, especially with the power from Gorski.
Below are the top performers in the Pittsburgh Pirates system from May 21st-27th.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS
TOP HITTERS
- Henry Davis, C (.346/.452/.846, 31 PA, 3 HR, 4 2B, 5 BB, SB)
- Matt Gorski, OF/1B (.310/.333/.897, 33 PA, 5 HR, 1 3B, 2 BB)
- Matt Fraizer, OF (.348/.464/.609, 28 PA, 1 HR, 3 2B, 5 BB)
- Malcom Nunez, 1B (.292/.433/.583, 30 PA, 2 HR, 1 2B, 5 BB)
- Andres Alvarez, INF (.357/.406/.607, 32 PA, 2 HR, 1 2B, 3 BB)
Indianapolis had a big week on offense, which was led by the power from Henry Davis and Matt Gorski. Both hitters began their current hot streaks on May 16th, with home runs in the first game of a double header. Since that point, Gorski is batting .348/.377/1.000 with eight home runs in 53 plate appearances. Davis is hitting .356/.463/.889 with six homers in 54 plate appearances. Gorski has been playing first base more often this month, while still getting most of his time in the outfield. Davis has been working behind the plate, starting three games in a row to lead off this past week.
TOP PITCHERS
- Quinn Priester, RHP (2 GS, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 HR)
- Brent Honeywell, RHP (3 G, 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 4 K)
- Ben Heller, RHP (2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K)
Quinn Priester started twice last week. His first outing didn’t go well, but his second start against the same team led to seven shutout innings. This is good to see from Priester, who hasn’t put up the best numbers this year at either level. His second start was good to see, and if he can repeat that more frequently, he’ll be looking like a MLB candidate again.
ALTOONA
TOP HITTERS
- Carter Bins, C (.250/.308/.750, 14 PA, 2 HR, BB)
- Sammy Siani, OF (.333/.409/.611, 22 PA, HR, 2 2B, 3 BB)
- Dustin Peterson, INF (.267/.389/.600, 18 PA, HR, 2 2B, 3 BB)
- Tsung-Che Cheng, SS (.350/.409/.550, 23 PA, HR, 2B, BB, 2 SB)
- Seth Beer, 1B (.308/.333/.577, 27 PA, 2 HR, 2B)
Altoona is currently getting a boost from 27-year-old Seth Beer and 29-year-old Dustin Peterson. Some of their true prospects stepped up this week at the plate. Carter Bins showed some power from behind the plate. Sammy Siani, who was drafted out of high school 37th overall in 2019, had been stuck in High-A for three seasons until this year. After batting .324/.402/.563 in Greensboro, he’s been off to a slow start in Altoona. This week’s numbers matched what he was doing in High-A. Tsung-Che Cheng had one of his best weeks of the season, showing his advanced ability of making contact and getting on base.
TOP PITCHERS
- Sean Sullivan, RHP (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K)
- Braxton Ashcraft, RHP (5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 HR)
- Drake Fellows, RHP (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K)
The Indianapolis rotation has been thin, with a few bullpen starts lately. Sean Sullivan continues pitching well in his second season in Double-A, and would be a prime candidate to move up a level. After six shutout innings this week, Sullivan has a 2.66 ERA in 40.2 innings. He had a 3.88 ERA in 113.2 innings last year, and is doing a better job this year of limiting hits. Braxton Ashcraft is heating up, combining for an 0.89 ERA in 20.1 innings over his last four starts, with a 27:5 K/BB ratio. He could reach the majors this year in relief, and also looks like a good starter option long-term. The Pirates added Drake Fellows in the Joe Musgrove trade. He’s missed a lot of time due to Tommy John, and is now getting his first extended look since the deal. In 16 innings with Altoona, Fellows has a 1.69 ERA and a 16:9 K/BB ratio.
GREENSBORO
TOP HITTERS
- P.J. Hilson, OF (.412/.474/.941, 19 PA, 3 HR, 2 BB, 2 SB)
- Nick Cimillo, C/DH (.357/.550/.786, 20 PA, 2 HR, 5 BB, SB)
- Shawn Ross, C/DH (.231/.333/.923, 15 PA, 3 HR, BB, SB)
The Pirates added P.J. Hilson in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. He’s been a leader role in the lower levels, and has been hitting well in High-A. Hilson has a .333/.396/.750 line in 53 plate appearances with Greensboro, hitting six homers in his short time. Nick Cimillo and Shawn Ross are both bat-first players who can catch with plus raw power at the plate. They combined for five home runs this week, with Cimillo having the better week outside of the power results.
TOP PITCHERS
- Patrick Reilly, RHP (5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K)
- Dominic Perachi, LHP (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
- Hunter Barco, LHP (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K)
- Elijah Birdsong, RHP (2 G, 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K)
- Jaden Woods, LHP (2 G, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K)
One of the best starts in the system this week came from Patrick Reilly, who was drafted in the fifth round last year. Reilly threw five no-hit innings, striking out seven. He’s got some of the best stuff in the lower levels of the system, with a mid-90s fastball and some improvements this year with his control. Lefties Dominic Perachi and Hunter Barco both gave Greensboro good starts this week, with two runs in five innings each outing. The bullpen received a boost from two college draft picks in recent years. Elijah Birdsong was taken in the 18th round in 2022, and has a 2.35 ERA in 7.2 innings at each A-ball level this year. Jaden Woods was drafted in the seventh round last year, and has a 2.60 ERA in 17.1 innings, with a 24:9 K/BB ratio.
BRADENTON
TOP HITTERS
- Solomon Maguire, OF (.222/.417/.556, 12 PA, HR, 3 BB)
- Wesley Zapata, 2B (.400/.455/.500, 11 PA, 2B, BB)
- Omar Alfonzo, C (.313/.478/.375, 23 PA, 2B, 6 BB)
Bradenton didn’t have a big week on offense, with Solomon Maguire showing a bit of power. Omar Alfonzo has been the best hitter on the team this year. He consistently hits the ball with triple-digit exit velocities. This week that led to mostly singles. His plate patience led to six walks and an on-base percentage close to .500. Wesley Zapata hit well from the bottom of the lineup in the games he played.
TOP PITCHERS
- Khristian Curtis, RHP (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, 1 HR)
- Antwone Kelly, RHP (4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K)
- Michael Kennedy, LHP (6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2 HR)
- Danny Carrion, RHP (2 G, 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K)
Bradenton’s pitching led the way this week. Khristian Curtis struck out nine in five innings of work. Curtis uses a six pitch mix, and had whiffs on five of his pitches this week. Antwone Kelly is one of the hardest throwers on the team. The 20-year-old out of Aruba has dealt with control issues this year, but only walked two in four shutout frames, striking out seven this week. Michael Kennedy posted a quality start, and went without a walk for the fifth time in eight starts this year. Danny Carrion was drafted in the ninth round last year out of UC Davis. He’s older for this level, but has a 1.13 ERA in eight innings.
FCL PIRATES
TOP HITTERS
- Jhonny Severino, INF (.286/.429/.929, 21 PA, 3 HR, 5 BB, 2 SB)
- Yordany De Los Santos, INF (.474/.524/.579, 21 PA, 2 2B, 2 BB, 8 SB)
Jhonny Severino was one of the best hitters in the system this week, hitting three homers in rookie ball. The Pirates added him in the Carlos Santana trade last summer. He has a .354/.459/.729 line in 61 plate appearances this year, with four doubles and four homers. Yordany De Los Santos was pushed to Bradenton last year, but struggled. He’s doing much better in the FCL this year, and had an explosive week this week. He reached base above a .500 rate, and stole eight bases. On the season, De Los Santos is hitting .407/.462/.593 with two homers, five doubles, and 12 stolen bases. He did well last year after being demoted to the FCL, but has stepped his performance up this year.
TOP PITCHERS
- Greiber Mendez, RHP (4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K)
- Alexis Torres, RHP (3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR)
- Jose Garces, RHP (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K)
- David Matoma, RHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K)
- Scott Randall, RHP (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K)
Scott Randall was added for Diego Castillo prior to 2023, and has recently made his debut in the system at the FCL level. He should be expected to end up in Greensboro or Altoona at the end of his rehab work. David Matoma continues getting multi-inning appearances. He now has three outings with one inning, and three more with two. It will be interesting to see if the hard thrower gets extended out beyond two innings in his next appearances.
FCL PIRATES MONDAY RECAP
The FCL Pirates won 2-1 Monday afternoon.
SS Yerry De Los Santos was a force on the bases. He went 2-for-2 with two walks, and stole four bases. De Los Santos took second and third two times each. His effort led to one of the two runs on the day, scoring in the fifth inning, after a throwing error to third on a steal attempt.
DH Roinny Aguiar reached base on a walk in the second inning, and scored on one of two hits on the day from CF Jhonson Pena.
RHP Scott Randall made his second start in the FCL. Randall threw three shutout innings, allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out three. RHP Carlos Castillo went three innings, allowing one run on three hits, with a walk and two strikeouts. LHP Inmer Lobo closed out the seven inning game with a scoreless inning.
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis OFF
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Sean Sullivan (0-4, 2.66)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:35 PM – TBD
- Single-A: Bradenton, 7:05 PM – TBD
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 12:00 PM – TBD
