Every Wednesday, I’ll be recapping the weekly Statcast leaders at each level of the Pittsburgh Pirates system that has data available. That includes the Major Leagues, Triple-A, and Single-A.
The results give a quick glimpse at players who stand out in a given week, with the chance to identify players who wouldn’t normally be discussed. As for the players who are normally discussed, this allows for a deeper dive into why they’re performing well.
The weekly leaders can be found at the bottom of the article, after five players who stood out in the last week.
Oneil Cruz With One of the Hardest Hits This Year
At 116.4 MPH, the double from Oneil Cruz last week was one of the hardest hit balls this year. The hit came in Thursday’s game against Milwaukee, as part of an active streak where Cruz has recorded a hit in each of his last seven starts.
Since Cruz said he has lost his confidence, he has done a good job at the plate trying to get it back. He’s batting .333/.379/.407 in his last 29 plate appearances. With the Pirates struggling on offense, it would be great to see Cruz’s bat waking up.
Rowdy Tellez Hitting the Ball Hard
The Pirates added Rowdy Tellez as their first baseman this offseason, and it hasn’t gone well. He’s batting .198/.283/.259 with one homer in 92 plate appearances. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that he was hitting the ball hard over the last week, even if that only led to three hits.
Tellez had two doubles on April 28th, including one that traveled 109 MPH. He had a 107.6 MPH single the day before. Tellez also had some hard and far hits that went for outs.
Two Starts From Paul Skenes
This week is the first week where top pitching prospect Paul Skenes is scheduled for two starts. He made his first one on Tuesday night, and will make his next start on Sunday. Since this article goes Wednesday-Tuesday, this was the first week where Skenes had two starts.
As usual, he owned the top velocity section in Triple-A, with 15 pitches at 100.1 MPH or higher, getting up to 101.0 MPH.
