The minor league season is a little over a month old, with the Triple-A season extending a week longer than everyone else. By this point, a sample size has formed to identify some of the standout players at each level.
Fortunately for the Pirates and their MLB depth, they have been led by the best hitter and pitcher in the system both being in Triple-A. By this time next month, both of those players should be in Pittsburgh if they maintain this pace.
This week, rather than recapping the weekly top performers, I wanted to look at the best performers in the early start of the season in the Pirates’ system. There’s also a recap of Monday’s FCL Pirates game, which will be included in all future weekly recaps that normally post on Monday.
THE HITTERS
Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS – I wrote about Gonzales last month, digging into the underlying strikeout issues to find that he’s still struggling with swing and miss against offspeed and breaking stuff. That said, he’s batting .360/.422/.597 this year in 128 plate appearances. His overall strikeout rate has dropped, and he’s been more aggressive with his swing rate this year, which might be leading to overall better results. There’s a chance he arrives in the majors and is still overmatched by MLB breaking stuff, but he’s earned another chance at the big leagues. I also believe he’s taken a step forward to at least improve on the results we’ve seen from him in the majors in the past. He’s at least improved enough that I think he can further his development at the big league level.
Ji Hwan Bae, UTIL – Bae started the season on the injured list, and was then sent to Indianapolis as depth. He’s batting .390/.507/.542 in 74 plate appearances this year, with some of those coming in Single-A Bradenton. I do want to underscore that Bae is reaching base safely 50% of the time in Triple-A across 71 plate appearances. This is a small sample that amounts to less than a month of games, but Bae looks like a major leaguer stashed in Triple-A right now.
Sammy Siani, OF – The 37th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Siani has been stuck in High-A since the 2022 season. He’s gradually improved each year, although this year has taken the biggest jump. He batted .324/.402/.563 in 82 plate appearances, after a .701 OPS last season. The biggest change is that he’s hitting for more power this year, with four homers and five doubles. He also has more walks (10) than strikeouts (9). He struck out 30.6% of the time last season, and is down to 20.6% this year. Siani gets the disclaimer that he’s in his age 23 season and his third year in High-A. That said, the Pirates just promoted him to Double-A. The promotion is deserved, and will allow him to show whether his power and plate patience can play at a higher level.
Charles McAdoo, 3B/2B/OF – I wrote about McAdoo over the weekend in the Saturday Sleepers series. The 2023 13th rounder is batting .309/.396/.531 in 96 plate appearances for Greensboro, with four homers and five steals. He’s had some big games recently, and his offense has been consistent after a slow start to the year. McAdoo improved his offense in his final two years at San Jose State, and carried that over to Bradenton last summer with an impressive debut. If he continues hitting with consistency in High-A, he could finish his first pro season in Altoona, which will be the big test for his bat.
Hudson Head, OF – Like Siani, the Pirates sent Head to High-A in 2022, and he’s been stuck at the level ever since. This year he’s batting .234/.388/.469 in 81 plate appearances. The standout has been power, with four homers, plus a double and a triple. He’s also walking a lot, but has some concerning strikeout trends. There’s a reason Siani was sent to Altoona first, but Head could follow with less of a three-outcomes approach, or more power from that approach.
Esmerlyn Valdez, OF/1B – Valdez is a sleeper in Single-A who stood out to me last year in the FCL. He batted .312/.377/.518 at the rookie level, with six home runs. That was followed with a trip to the Colombian Winter League, where he looked a bit overmatched. He hasn’t looked overmatched in Single-A, batting .279/.385/.430 with two homers and six doubles in 96 plate appearances. He’s in his age 20 season, and I’d expect him to spend his entire year in Bradenton experiencing his first full-season.
Eddy Rodriguez, OF/1B – He’s only played eight games, after being a late addition to the Bradenton roster. I do want to point out the early performance of Rodriguez, who was a standout last year in the FCL. In his eight games, he’s batting .370/.438/.444. This follows a .295/.409/.442 line in 159 plate appearances in the FCL, with an improvement on his contact rate over his DSL time in 2021-22. He’s in his age-20 season, and is a bat-first prospect to watch in the lower levels.
THE PITCHERS
Paul Skenes, RHP – In his first seven starts this year, Skenes has combined for an 0.99 ERA in 27.1 innings, with a 45:8 K/BB ratio. The Pirates have slowly built him up in terms of pitch counts and single-appearance innings. At this point, he’s gone 75 pitches and six innings of work once, while also pitching on four days rest once. He’s ready for the Majors, but if the Pirates wanted to be cautious, they could give him another start or two in Triple-A. I think it would be more valuable to have him starting at the big league level at this point, as Triple-A hitters aren’t giving him a challenge.
Hunter Barco, LHP – The Pirates drafted Barco in the second round in 2022, despite him undergoing Tommy John in his junior year at Florida. This is his first full-season with the club, and he’s showing why he was worth the wait. In 22.1 innings with Greensboro, Barco has a 2.01 ERA and a 31:8 K/BB ratio. He’s getting his first experience pitching in pro ball for a full season, which explains the High-A assignment. From a talent standpoint, he looks like a guy who should be in Double-A. I’d expect him to finish the year at that level.
Michael Kennedy, LHP – Kennedy was the fourth round pick in 2022, receiving an over-slot bonus to sign out of the prep ranks. In his first full season assignment with Bradenton, he’s got a 3.13 ERA in 23 innings, with a 30:3 K/BB ratio. That’s heavily fueled by his last three starts, which has seen Kennedy combine for three earned runs in 16 innings of work, with a 22:0 K/BB ratio. The 19-year-old lefty is starting to heat up.
Luis Peralta, LHP – The younger brother of MLB starter Freddy Peralta, Luis was moved to the bullpen in High-A this year, after two seasons in Single-A as a starter. In 11.2 innings in relief, he has one earned run alloowed, with a 26:8 K/BB ratio. The control is a problem, and that led to his issues as a starter. The strikeout stuff has always been there, and is playing up in limited appearances for an 0.77 ERA and more than two strikeouts per inning to start the year.
Carlson Reed, RHP – Reed was drafted in the fourth round in 2023, taken out of West Virginia as a reliever. The Pirates have been converting him to a starter in Bradenton, where he has a 1.31 ERA in 20.2 innings of work, along with a 26:14 K/BB ratio. His control has been a concern since he was drafted, but he does have a nice three pitch mix, and is getting results in extended outings. He could end the year in Greensboro if he maintains this production.
Alessandro Ercolani, RHP – Ercolani has been one of my favorites to follow in the lower levels. Signed out of San Marino, he’s a 19-year-old with a six pitch mix, good control, and the ability to rack up strikeouts. He has a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings across his first five starts in Greensboro, with a 20:8 K/BB ratio. Those numbers are inflated by a rough outing this past week. He should be in Greensboro all season, and is a top 30 sleeper to watch.
Bubba Chandler, RHP – Chandler has worked as a starter in Altoona, and got a different look this week as a three inning reliever. The Pirates were likely just giving him a break from the rotation. He has a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings this year, with 23 strikeouts and 10 walks. The control becomes an issue at times, as Chandler gets worked up and starts to over-throw. However, he’s showing the ability to dominate an opposing lineup, which he started doing in the second half of last season.
Patrick Reilly, RHP – Last year’s fifth round pick doesn’t have the standout ERA to be on this list. In Reilly’s first five starts with Greensboro, he has a 4.35 ERA in 20.2 innings. He stands out to me for a 33:8 K/BB ratio during that time, cutting down on his walk rate this year, while maintaining an impressive strikeout rate. He sits mid-90s with his fastball, and features a few pitches that grade better than average to rack up strikeouts. He’s a top 30 sleeper to follow as a future MLB power reliever, or maybe even a starter if he continues improving his control.
Sean Sullivan, RHP – Most of the pitchers on this list stand out for a strikeout rate in excess of one strikeout per inning. Some have two strikeouts per inning. Sullivan is more a pitch to contact guy, with some deception from a lower arm slow delivery. That’s leading to a 2.78 ERA in 22.2 innings during his second run through Altoona, with a 16:6 K/BB ratio. His numbers this year are improved over last season, and if he continues, Sullivan could find his way to Indianapolis by the end of the year, perhaps even by the middle of the season.
FCL PIRATES MONDAY UPDATE
The FCL Pirates won 4-1 on Monday against the FCL Twins.
Second baseman Carlos Caro went 1-for-3 with a two run homer in the first. He also drew a walk and stole a base. Caro batted .310/.440/.504 last year in his pro debut in the DSL.
17-year-old RHP Dioris Martinez made the start, allowing one run in 3.2 innings of work. 19-year-old right-hander Clevari Tejada pitched three shutout innings. Both pitchers worked in the DSL last year as rookies, combining for 28 innings.
DH Tony Blanco Jr. went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. SS Jhonny Severino went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases. CF Estuar Suero went 1-for-4 with a stolen base. Those are three of the top prospects at the level this year, with Severino and Suero added last year in deadline trades.
