Carlson Reed has consistently been the best pitcher in Single-A Bradenton this season. The 2023 fourth rounder completed an impressive month of June on Wednesday, throwing six innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts. Reed had a 1.69 ERA in 21.1 innings during the month, with a 29:7 K/BB.
Reed led with his slider on Wednesday, throwing the pitch 32 times, with eight whiffs on 14 swings, and eight more swinging strikes for a 50% CSW. His four-seam fastball sat 94.1 MPH across 31 pitches, touching 96, with a 26% CSW. He also threw his sinker one MPH slower on 24 pitches, with a 33% CSW. Reed threw nine changeups and one sweeper.
On the season, Reed has a 2.21 ERA in 61 innings, with a 76:33 K/BB ratio. He was a reliever in college at West Virginia, and has been adjusting to the rotation in pro ball. He’s pitched 5+ innings in each of his last four starts, and has gone 5+ in seven of his last nine starts. The other two were four inning appearances where he dealt with control issues.
Control has been the biggest issue for Reed. He walked 10 in 15.2 innings in April, 16 in 24 innings during the month of May, but reduced that to seven walks in 21.1 innings this month. As a starter who is putting up better control results, and consistently going 5+ innings with very limited scoring damage, Reed looks like the most deserving of a promotion, which would give him a push to the High-A level to further test his abilities as a starter.
The Pirates have just started promoting players throughout their system. The High-A group has a few pitchers who could move up to Double-A and create rotation space for Reed for the remainder of the year. The bonus is that Reed would be able to pitch in the post-season at the next level, after adjusting to Greensboro. For now, he looks like he has very little to prove on the field in Bradenton.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS was postponed, and will play a double-header on Thursday.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA lost 11-6
- 3B Charles McAdoo: 3-for-5, 2B, SB
- DH Yoyner Fajardo: 3-for-5, 2B, SB
- C Henry Davis: 0-for-2, 2 BB
- 2B Kervin Pichardo: 2-for-4
- RHP Sean Sullivan: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Henry Davis started a rehab assignment with Altoona, picking up two walks. He didn’t play the complete game. Charles McAdoo has reached base safely in all four of his games at the Double-A level. He is 6-for-17 with two doubles, two homers, and three walks. Yoyner Fajardo picked up three hits, and is now batting .349 with a .798 OPS since rejoining the Pirates this month.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 6-1
- LHP Dominic Perachi: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
- CF Hudson Head: 2-for-4, RBI
- SS Mitch Jebb: 1-for-3, BB
- C Geovany Planchart: 1-for-3, BB
- 3B Maikol Escotto: 0-for-2, BB
Dominic Perachi made four starts and five appearances for Greensboro this month. He combined for a 2.25 ERA in 24 innings, with a 25:8 K/BB. He started the month of May in Altoona as a depth option, before returning to High-A for a 2.92 ERA in 12.1 innings. The 23-year-old lefty has a 1.93 ERA in 46.2 innings, with a 48:16 K/BB ratio.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON won 8-7 in 10 innings, after Carlson Reed’s six inning start.
- CF Shalin Polanco: 2-for-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBI
- 3B Javier Rivas: 1-for-4, HR, RBI
- PH-C Axiel Plaz: 1-for-2, HR, 4 RBI
- LF Braylon Bishop: 2-for-3, 2B, BB, SB
- RHP Carlos Jimenez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Bradenton’s offense scored six runs in the eighth inning, all off home runs. Shalin Polanco started things off with a solo homer, his eighth of the year. Javier Rivas followed with another solo homer, his seventh homer of the year. Later in the inning, Axiel Plaz hit a grand slam for his seventh homer of the year. Plaz entered the game as a replacement for the rehabbing Abrahan Gutierrez. Bradenton’s bullpen allowed six runs in the ninth inning. They won in the 10th inning after a wild pitch scored a runner from third.
STATCAST HEROES
The home run from Polanco was hit 97.9 MPH and traveled 385 feet. Rivas hit his 103.3 MPH with a distance of 399 feet. Plaz hit his grand slam 94.3 MPH with a 350 foot distance. He also had a 110.8 MPH lineout.
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 1:05 PM – RHP Jake Woodford (1-4, 4.67)
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, Game Two – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Bubba Chandler (3-5, 4.37)
- High-A: Greensboro, 7:05 PM – RHP Derek Diamond (4-1, 4.10)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – RHP Hung-Leng Chang (2-5, 4.20)
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 6:00 PM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 11:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 11:00 AM – TBD
