The Pittsburgh Pirates have no shortage of pitching depth options for the Major League level, even after trading away Quinn Priester and Martin Perez at the deadline. One guy who you shouldn’t sleep on is RHP Aaron Shortridge.
On Tuesday night, Shortridge allowed one run in four innings in his latest start for Indianapolis. He allowed three hits, four walks, and struck out four. This was the third outing for Shortridge at the Triple-A level this year, with a combined one earned run allowed across eight innings, along with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, Shortridge has seen some delays to his career. He started looking like a prospect in 2019 with Bradenton, posting a 3.25 ERA in 135.2 innings, while displaying advanced control. Then, the pandemic hit. On the other side of the lost 2020 minor league season, Shortridge went down with Tommy John surgery. He returned for 64.1 innings in 2022, then pitched a full season in 2023. That year concluded with his debut in Triple-A, allowing one run in five innings.
Shortridge led with his slider on Tuesday, throwing the pitch 29 times. He had five whiffs on 15 swings against the mid-80s pitch, while throwing three pitches for called strikes. He had four whiffs on 12 swings against his fastball, with three more called strikes. The four-seam averaged 91.7 MPH, touching 93.4. His cutter sat 90.6 MPH, and didn’t get many strikes during this start. He threw an upper 70s curve that was effective, along with five changeups in the mid-80s that didn’t lead to strikes.
The 27-year-old has had a rocky career, but has made a lot of strides in the last year to get back on track. That included overcoming an injury that put him out for most of this season. He’s now pitching well in Triple-A, and if this continues, he could emerge as a Major League depth option, even with the already strong depth that the Pirates have.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS won 7-5, led by the start from Aaron Shortridge.
- RF Edward Olivares: 2-for-5, RBI, SB
- C Henry Davis: 1-for-3, 2 BB
- SS Liover Peguero: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
- 3B Malcom Nunez: 1-for-3, BB, RBI
- DH Seth Beer: 1-for-3, BB, RBI
Henry Davis extended his hitting streak to ten games. The top hitters in the lineup represent the new deeper depth after the trade deadline, eventually to be joined by Nick Yorke and Billy Cook. With Bryan De La Cruz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa added to the Major League roster, the Pirates can let guys like Davis, Edward Olivares, and Liover Peguero get back on track, without needing their production as much at the big league level.
STATCAST HEROES
Ben Heller and Connor Sadzeck brought the velocity, which they’ve done all season. They’re both deeper depth options, with 35-grades that profiles as the “Quad-A” type relievers. Sadzeck allowed two runs in the ninth, only to be bailed out by Heller, who left the bases loaded by getting the final out of the game.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 5-1
- RHP Drake Fellows: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
- CF Jase Bowen: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
- LF Tres Gonzales: 2-for-3, BB, RBI
- RF Sammy Siani: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI
- 1B Nick Cimillo: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI
Altoona got on the board in the second inning with a two-run homer by Jase Bowen, for his fourth of the season in Double-A. They also had four doubles, including the first from recently promoted first baseman Nick Cimillo. The starter for the game was Drake Fellows, who is pitching in his first full season after being injured the last few years. Fellows was added in the Joe Musgrove trade before the 2021 season. He has a 3.95 ERA in his time with Altoona.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 11-10
- 2B Termarr Johnson: 2-for-4, BB
- 3B Maikol Escotto: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI
- CF P.J. Hilson: 4-for-5
- LF Luke Brown: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB
- C Shawn Ross: 2-for-5, RBI
Greensboro got off to a great start on offense, overcoming five runs allowed by starter Wilber Dotel. They scored five runs in the third inning, putting them up 7-5. Luke Brown hit a three run homer, and Maikol Escotto hit a solo shot, both with two outs. Escotto, acquired in the Jameson Taillon trade in 2021, has largely stalled in High-A. He has been heating up lately, going 7-for-18 with two homers and a double in his last five games.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON won 3-1 in 10 innings.
- RHP Carlos Jimenez: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
- 1B Esmerlyn Valdez: 1-for-4, HR, RBI
- 3B Javier Rivas: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
- LF Braylon Bishop: 2-for-4
- DH Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-4, 3B
The Marauders saw a late comeback, fueled by two home runs. Esmerlyn Valdez hit a solo shot in the top of the ninth to tie the score. It was the 15th homer from Valdez this season. Javier Rivas put Bradenton ahead in the tenth with a two run shot, his ninth homer of the year. Carlos Jimenez has been pitching great this month, with a 2.21 ERA in 20.1 innings, along with a 22:10 K/BB.
STATCAST HEROES
Jimenez sat 93.3 MPH with his fastball, touching 95.2. The pitch was thrown in the zone 39% of the time, leading to a 19% called and swinging strike rate. He has one of the best changeups in the system, which produced five whiffs on 14 swings, along with five more called strikes. His upper-70s curveball had five called strikes, making up for the lack of fastball control.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
DSL PIRATES BLACK won 5-2
- LF Iverson Allen: 2-for-3, 2B
- 3B Frankeli Mesta: 1-for-3
- SS Jayden Kim: 1-for-3, RBI
Iverson Allen, a 16-year-old who was signed by the Pirates this January, has only played in eight games. He’s batting .348/.375/.478 during that time, while missing time this year with an injury. Clearly, he’s been putting in the work during practice in his time down.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD lost 2-0 in ten innings in game one.
- RHP Cesar Aquino: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
- RHP Luis Rodriguez: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
- C Joseph Sequera: 1-for-1, 2B
The only hit of the game for the Pirates came from a double by Joseph Sequera. Cesar Aquino, who signed in March this year, has an 0.58 ERA in 31 innings during his pro debut, with a 21:6 K/BB.
DSL PIRATES GOLD lost game two 8-1.
- SS Kendrick Herrera: 1-for-1, 2 BB, SB
- CF Edward Florentino: 1-for-2
- C Samuel Escudero: 0-for-1, SF, RBI
It was a bad day on offense for the DSL Pirates Gold. They only had two hits in game two, which came from two of their best performing signings from the 2024 class. Edward Florentino is batting .261 with a .917 OPS, while Kendrick Herrera has a .271 average and a .759 OPS.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – RHP Mike Burrows (0-0, 2.25)
- Double-A: Altoona, 12:05 PM – RHP Po-Yu Chen (4-7, 3.50)
- High-A: Greensboro, 7:00 PM – LHP Dominic Perachi (6-2, 1.97)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 11:00 AM – TBD
