The 2023 Pittsburgh Pirates draft is obviously going to be known as the draft where they took Paul Skenes first overall. Behind that pick, the Pirates went heavy on pitching talent. One of the better picks so far has been fifth rounder Patrick Reilly, taken out of Vanderbilt.
On Saturday night, Reilly threw seven innings for High-A Greensboro, allowing one run on a walk and four hits. He struck out six batters.
Reilly leads the Pirates’ minor league system in strikeouts with 97 in 79 innings this year. He has a 3.30 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. The latter is due to him being difficult to hit, with a .192 average against. His walk rate is a concern at times, but Reilly has put up a few starts in the last month without control issues.
Reilly could be a promotion candidate to Altoona by the end of the year, especially if he has more starts where he limits the free passes.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS lost 4-3
- RHP Drake Fellows: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
- DH Henry Davis: 1-for-4, HR, BB
- C Jason Delay: 3-for-4, 2B, RBI
- 3B Malcom Nunez: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
- RHP Isaac Mattson: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Drake Fellows got the call from Altoona to make his third start in Triple-A. Fellows was part of the Joe Musgrove trade in 2021, but has missed a lot of time with Tommy John since the deal. This is his first full season since joining the Pirates. He had a 3.35 ERA in 37.2 innings in Double-A. After this start, as good as it was, he still has a 5.73 ERA in his three starts with Indianapolis. This one could get him additional opportunities at this level.
STATCAST HEROES
Henry Davis hit his eighth home run, traveling 432 feet at 105.9 MPH. The hardest hit was a Malcom Nunez double at 115.6 MPH. Fellows had five whiffs each on his sinker and slider.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 4-1
- RHP Scott Randall: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
- 3B Brenden Dixon: 1-for-3, HR, 4 RBI
- CF Tres Gonzalez: 2-for-3, BB
- RF Jase Bowen: 1-for-4
- RHP Justin Meis: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Pirates acquired Scott Randall for Diego Castillo ahead of the 2023 season. Randall missed all of 2023, and has been making his way up through the system this year. This was his first start in Double-A, after a 9.49 ERA in five appearances with High-A Greensboro. Jase Bowen had an impressive double play. He ranged into foul territory for a sliding catch in right field, followed by jumping up and firing a perfect strike home to get the runner trying to score from third. Brenden Dixon hit a grand slam in the seventh to give Altoona their four runs.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO won 4-2, led by Patrick Reilly’s seven innings.
- CF Hudson Head: 3-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
- 1B Billy McKinney: 1-for-3, BB
- RF Wyatt Hendrie: 1-for-4, RBI
- LF Sergio Campana: 0-for-1, 2 BB, 2 SB
- SS Jack Brannigan: 0-for-3, BB, SB
Hudson Head hit his tenth homer of the year, launching a two run shot in the first inning to put Greensboro on the board. He also hit his tenth double of the year. Billy McKinney continued his rehab work, playing a complete game at first base.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON lost 1-0 in ten innings
- RHP Carlos Jimenez: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
- C Axiel Plaz: 1-for-4
- DH Miguel Sosa: 1-for-3
- RHP Landon Tomkins: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
- SS Javier Rivas: 1-for-4
Carlos Jimenez had one of his best starts, throwing six shutout innings, and limiting his control issues to one walk. Jimenez has some of the best stuff at this level, but his control has been alarming. He has 49 walks in 45 innings this year. What stands out is that he has 61 strikeouts and a .183 average against during that time. His start on Saturday was an example of what he can do when he’s throwing strikes consistently.
STATCAST HEROES
Jimenez has one of the best changeups in the system. He threw the pitch 40 times out of his 90 pitches, getting five whiffs on 23 swings, with five more called strikes. The changeup averaged 86 MPH, touching 90.9, and had a max exit velocity of 88.8 MPH. His fastball averaged 93.8 MPH, touching 95.5. He also threw a curveball that got three whiffs on seven swings, sitting around 79 MPH.
ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES
FCL PIRATES won 12-9
- 3B Jhonny Severino: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- SS Yerry De Los Santos: 2-for-4
- 1B Richard Ramirez: 3-for-4, 2B, RBI
- LF Estuar Suero: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI
- 2B Roinny Aguiar: 2-for-3, BB
The Pirates had four hitters with multiple hits, along with two more who reached base safely multiple times. Their offense came in bursts, with four runs in the second, five in the fifth, and three in the seventh. Richard Ramirez paced the scoring, loading the bases with singles during the big innings in the second and fifth. He’s starting to hit well over the last few games, after struggling during the last month.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
DSL PIRATES BLACK won 5-3
- SS Kendrick Herrera: 2-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 SB
- RF Bralyn Brazoban: 1-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI
- CF Andres Villafane: 2-for-4, RBI
Bralyn Brazoban was the top international signing this year. He’s gotten off to a slow start to his career, but hit a two RBI triple in this game, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the first. Kendrick Herrera has been one of the best performers from this year’s signing class. He stole two bases, giving him five on the season, to go with his .781 OPS.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD won 12-3
- 1B Edward Florentino: 2-for-3, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI
- SS Adbiel Feliz: 3-for-6, RBI
- 2B Antonio Pimentel: 4-for-5, BB, SB
Adbiel Feliz was the second biggest signing in this year’s international class. He’s struggled with a .492 OPS, but had his best game on Saturday with three hits. Edward Florentino has been the best performer from this year’s signing class, hitting his fourth homer and improving to a 1.042 OPS. This was the second game in a row that he’s homered.
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 1:35 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 1:00 PM – RHP Chris Gau (0-4, 3.44)
- High-A: Greensboro, 2:00 PM – RHP Wilber Dotel (6-3, 4.87)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 12:00 PM – RHP Peyton Stumbo (1-3, 4.83)
- The rookie leagues are off.
