The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves throughout their minor league organization on Tuesday. With the trade deadline passed, the FCL season complete, and first half performances fully in the books, we’re now in the season where the best players at each level will be moving up.
Here are the moves that were made on Tuesday throughout the system.
Omar Alfonzo Leads the Promotions to Greensboro
Omar Alfonzo has been one of the best hitters for the Bradenton Marauders this year. The results haven’t fully translated to the stat sheet, but Alfonzo has consistently been one of the most impactful hitters on the team, consistently hitting triple-digit exit velocities. This led to a .253/.353/.388 line with eight homers and 15 doubles.
On Tuesday, the Pirates promoted Alfonzo to High-A Greensboro. He definitely made an impact in his first game, going 4-for-4 with a homer and a walk. The 21-year-old has split his time this year between catcher and first base. He’s the son of former big league catcher Eliezer Alfonso, and Omar has the catching chops to also make it to the majors one day at the position. His power potential could play at first base as a backup.
Joining Alfonzo on the trip to Greensboro were pitchers Garrett McMillan and Landon Tomkins.
Tomkins was taken in the tenth round of last year’s draft. He had a 3.86 ERA in 32.2 innings this year in Bradenton’s bullpen, with a 34:10 K/BB. The right-hander works with a sinker/slider combo, sitting low-to-mid 90s with his fastball, and getting it up to 97-98. His slider sits low-to-mid 80s with 2500+ average RPMs.
McMillan was drafted in the 14th round, and put up a 2.92 ERA in 49.1 innings with Bradenton. He struck out 53 and walked 16. He has a vast arsenal of pitches, throwing a four-seam and sinker that sit low-90s, along with a slider, changeup, curveball, and cutter. The right-hander allowed two earned runs in three innings during his High-A debut.
Dominic Perachi Returns to Altoona
Greensboro has lost some pitching lately, and that continued with the promotion of LHP Dominic Perachi to Altoona.
Perachi got the call to Altoona earlier this season, making three appearances as a depth option in May. He returned to Greensboro and worked mostly out of the rotation, with a 2.08 ERA in 73.2 innings. He struck out 81 and walked 19, showing improvements on his walk rate from last year in Bradenton. He walked 48 in 90.2 innings last year. Perachi will face a tougher challenge in Double-A, where lefties start to get a bigger test. He made his return start on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs in three innings, with five strikeouts and three walks.
The Pirates released Dustin Peterson from the Altoona roster. The 27-year-old third baseman was hitting .220/.300/.352 with five homers this year.
Matt Fraizer was sent to Altoona from Indianapolis, after the Pirates acquired a few upper-level hitters at the deadline. Fraizer had a .261/.325/.406 line with three homers at the Triple-A level.
Draft Picks Making Their Debut in Bradenton
With three players moving up from Bradenton to Greensboro, the Marauders roster had some openings. Two of the 2024 draft picks were added to make their pro debuts on Tuesday.
Ninth round shortstop Duce Gourson and tenth round catcher Derek Berg are the first picks from the recent draft to appear in a game, after starting for Bradenton on Tuesday. Neither player went a full game, each playing six innings. Gourson went 0-for-2 with a walk, starting at second base. Berg went 0-for-3, getting the start behind the plate.
Right-handed pitcher Carlos Castillo was also moved up to Bradenton, after putting up good numbers in the FCL rotation. Castillo had a 2.86 ERA in 34.2 innings, with a 27:18 K/BB. This was his second pro season. He signed with the Pirates last January, and had a 1.70 ERA in 37 innings in the DSL, with a 40:15 K/BB. Castillo made his debut in Bradenton on Tuesday, allowing two runs in two innings. The 18-year-old sat 92 MPH with his fastball, touching 94.
Injury Updates
There were a few injury moves and other transactions in the minors.
- LHP Justin Bruihl was added to the 7-day injured list in Indianapolis.
- C Wyatt Hendrie was added to the 7-day injured list in Greensboro.
- INF Andres Alvarez was moved from Indianapolis to the development list.
Pirates Prospect Watch
Omar Alfonzo went 4-for-4 with a home run in his Greensboro debut. Nick Yorke extended his hitting streak to ten games in Triple-A. Nick Cimillo had three hits in Altoona. Esmerlyn Valdez hit his 17th homer of the year in Bradenton. Read about all of Tuesday’s minor league action in the latest Pirates Prospect Watch:
https://piratesprospects.com/2024/08/pirates-prospect-watch-omar-alfonzo-homers-in-his-greensboro-debut.html
