This week, I released my top 50 tiered rankings for the Pittsburgh Pirates system. I’ve been continuing with the top prospect trend by reviewing the rosters of the four full-season teams, showing which players to follow on each team down the stretch.
Yesterday, I looked at the prospect rich rotation in Indianapolis. Today’s look is on the Double-A Altoona Curve, who now feature one of the top hitting prospects in the system.
Top Prospects Getting Upper Level Looks
The Pirates promoted Termarr Johnson to Altoona this week, which will give the Altoona offense a highlight in an otherwise disappointing season. Johnson was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, and hit .238/.372/.385 with 13 homers and 20 stolen bases in his time in Greensboro this season.
The debut from Johnson on Tuesday showed a brief preview of what to expect. He drew a walk in his first two plate appearances, stole a base, and hit two fly ball outs. His contact ability is one of the best in the system, and he draws a lot of walks. Johnson has focused on hitting for power in the lower levels, with 31 homers across two seasons in A-ball. He’s an on-base machine, but his power approach has come with a low batting average.
Johnson will be challenged more than ever by Double-A pitchers. He showed in a brief time in Major League Spring Training that he can handle the adjustments needed against upper-level pitching. He should continue to make contact in the zone, and lay off pitches outside of the zone. The question will be whether the quality of contact leads to better and more consistent numbers than he’s shown in the lower levels.
The Pirates had previously promoted two of their top performers from Greensboro in LHP Hunter Barco and 1B Nick Cimillo.
Barco is currently out with a shin injury, after four innings at the Double-A level. The number seven prospect in the system, Barco has made a lot of progress this year, increasing his velocity and improving his secondary stuff. With Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington promoted to Indianapolis, Barco becomes the top pitcher to watch in Altoona when he returns.
Cimillo is the number 39 prospect in the system, and showed impressive power in Greensboro. He hit 17 homers, leading to a .293/.419/.619 line in 181 at-bats. So far in Altoona, he’s hitting .202/.320/.298 with two homers and four doubles in 104 at-bats. This level will provide a big test for his power potential.
Bounce-Back Candidates
Two of the top ten prospects entering the year have struggled in Altoona, and will be looking to finish the season strong.
LHP Anthony Solometo has a 6.17 ERA in 46.2 innings, with a 36:32 K/BB. He’s dealt with control issues this year, which led to the Pirates sending him to the Development List in mid-June, followed by a few starts in the lower levels. In 13.2 innings since returning to Altoona, he has allowed nine runs on ten hits, with 11 walks and 12 strikeouts.
Aside from the control issues and the runs allowed, Solometo has seen a velocity drop this year. He worked on his changeup while pitching in Bradenton during his downtime. He might benefit from an offseason overhaul to his mechanics, which add deception, but which might be running into a wall against upper-level hitters.
Infielder Tsung-Che Cheng is batting .218/.323/.350 with 11 homers and 14 stolen bases in 371 at-bats. He’s one of the best pure hitters in the system, so it’s alarming that he’s only batting .218 — especially after hitting .251 last year. He is getting on base at a higher rate this year, along with hitting for more power.
It’s not surprising that Cheng is struggling at the plate, considering that almost every hitting prospect in this system has struggled. He and Johnson have very similar stories as contact hitters who have seen their contact results struggle as their power numbers increase. Cheng has been hitting more fly balls in Double-A over the last two years, which probably isn’t the best approach for the speedy infielder.
Second-Half Surgers
There are three players who have stood out for their second-half surges in Altoona.
Sammy Siani, OF – He’s hitting .255/.329/.376 on the season since moving up to Double-A. Siani is batting .319/.410/.431 during the month of August, with eight multi-hit games during that span. He hasn’t hit any home runs, but has four doubles and two triples. Home run power isn’t going to be a big part of his game, so it’s good to see him having success with an extra-base hit approach.
Kervin Pichardo, INF – The Pirates added Pichardo in a trade at the start of the year for LHP Jackson Wolf. He’s hitting .259/.310/.392, but has been improving over the last few months. Since the start of June, Pichardo is hitting .279/.323/.429 with eight homers and seven doubles. He has four of those homers during the month of August, along with two doubles and two triples. The 22-year-old is showing good progress in his first full season at the Double-A level.
Jase Bowen, OF/1B – The 2019 11th round prep draftee is hitting .236/.291/.338 on the season in Altoona, after a brief appearance at the level at the end of 2023. He’s hitting better in the month of August, with a .267/.323/.383 line and two homers. He has hits in 11 of his 15 games, with four multi-hit games.
Final Thought
The Pirates signed RHP Emmanuel Chapman out of Cuba this past December. He’s in his age 25 season, so he’s starting his minor league career late. That said, Chapman has done everything you’d want to see from a late starter. In 18 innings at the High-A level, he had a 3.00 ERA and a 23:6 K/BB. Since moving up to Altoona, he has a 3.28 ERA in 49.1 innings, with a 44:22 K/BB. Chapman has gotten more extended outings this month, with a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings, and a 17:11 K/BB. He’ll need to improve the walks, but he’s only allowed five hits in that span.
Check back Thursday for a look at the High-A Greensboro roster.
