Bubba Chandler continued to dominate hitters in his second start at the Triple-A level. Billy McKinney has been hitting at the same level for the last few weeks, leading to a promotion in Pittsburgh. They were the top performers this past week in Indianapolis.
The rest of the system included promise from younger guys in the lower levels, such as Alessandro Ercolani in Greensboro and Jhonny Severino in Bradenton. There have also been late-season surges from guys like Sammy Siani in Altoona and Hudson Head in Greensboro.
Below are the top hitter and pitcher at each level of the minor league system from the last week.
INDIANAPOLIS
TOP HITTER: Billy McKinney – .462/.533/.923, 2 HR, 15 PA
McKinney was on a hot streak in Indianapolis, reaching base safely in every game since returning to the level on July 24th. He had a hit in all but one game during the month of August, and that included a five-game hitting streak over the last week. The Pirates called him up on Monday, and he went 2-for-4 in his debut with the Major League squad. This is the seventh season that McKinney has been in the Majors.
TOP PITCHER: Bubba Chandler – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K
The top pitching prospect in the system pitched another gem in Triple-A. Chandler threw six shutout innings, tying his career-best in strikeouts with 11. That’s a mark that he previously set in 6.2 innings in Double-A on June 27th. In two starts at the Triple-A level, Chandler has pitched 13 shutout innings, with seven hits, three walks, and 17 strikeouts.
ALTOONA
TOP HITTER: Sammy Siani – .250/.429/.375, 21 PA
The 37th overall pick from the 2019 draft has been hitting well lately in Altoona. Siani has a .320/.404/.460 line in 50 at-bats during the month of August. He’s slowed down a bit over the last week, but still managed a three hit game with a triple on Saturday, while also reaching base safely in every game played.
TOP PITCHER: Grant Ford – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
The 2019 fifth rounder pitched twice in relief this past week, throwing three shutout innings in a start, before allowing one run on a walk and a hit in two innings of relief later in the week. Ford has a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings since the All-Star break, with 19 strikeouts and nine walks.
GREENSBORO
TOP HITTER: Hudson Head – .357/.438/.714, HR, 16 PA
Head recorded a hit in every game over the last week, while adding a triple and his 12th homer of the year. He currently has a five-game hitting streak. Head has gone on stretches like this throughout the year, but also has stretches where he goes games without a hit. He’s in his third season at the High-A level, with a .224/.323/.414 line, looking like a three-outcomes hitter.
TOP PITCHER: Alessandro Ercolani – 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Ercolani is in his age-20 season, with a 3.49 ERA in 67 innings, along with an 81:23 K/BB. He surpassed his career high in innings this past week, expanding upon the 65 innings last year in Single-A. His strikeouts are up and walks are down this year, leading to a better ERA, despite pitching in an offense-friendly environment. The Pirates have been limiting his innings with shorter outings out of the bullpen. He made two appearances this past week, and has a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings across four appearances this month.
BRADENTON
TOP HITTER: Jhonny Severino – .250/.318/.500, HR, 22 PA
The Pirates added Severino last year at the trade deadline for Carlos Santana. He hit .291/.373/.545 with ten homers and 12 steals in his season in the FCL this year. The Pirates moved him up to Bradenton at the end of July, and he’s since repeated his success, batting .281/.349/.509 with two homers and three stolen bases in 63 plate appearances. Severino hit a homer and two doubles this past week for Bradenton.
TOP PITCHER: Connor Oliver – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
Oliver was acquired for Colin Selby earlier this season. The lefty pitched twice this past week. The first time was a two shutout inning relief appearance. He made a start on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits in 4.2 innings, with five strikeouts. Control has been a problem for him, leading to a high ERA on the season. He’s still got control problems in August, but has been limiting hits, leading to a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings across four appearances.
DSL PIRATES
TOP HITTER: Isaias Dipre – .286/.375/.857, 2 HR, 16 PA
Dipre was signed by the Pirates in August 2019, and has had a rollercoaster of a career. He didn’t make his debut until 2021, and had a .675 OPS in the DSL. He improved to a .796 OPS in 2022, but missed the 2023 season with an injury. He’s been the best hitter in the DSL this season, batting .301/.441/.579 with eight homers and six stolen bases. He hit two of those homers over the last week, and added his eighth of the season on Monday.
TOP PITCHER: Irwin Ramirez – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Ramirez was the top international pitcher signed by the Pirates this season. He carried a 5.25 ERA into the month of August, after allowing four runs in 3.2 innings on August 1st. Since then, he’s delivered two of his best starts of the season. After allowing one run on one hit in five innings on August 9th, he returned to throw five shutout innings on August 16th. Those were also the first two times he threw five innings in a start. The 17-year-old from Venezuela is showing promise finishing out his rookie season.
ROOKIE BALL MONDAY RECAP
Both DSL Pirates affiliates will end their regular seasons on Tuesday. They played their next-to-last games on Monday.
The DSL Pirates Black lost 6-2.
RHP Angel Herrera pitched three innings, allowing two runs, one earned, while walking one and striking out six. 2B Frankeli Mesta went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. RF Angel Aquino also had two hits. SS Deshandro Tromp went 1-for-3 with a triple.
The DSL Pirates Gold won 5-3.
RHP Cesar Aquino pitched five innings, allowing one run on two hits, with a walk and eight strikeouts. RF Isaias Dipre hit his eighth homer of the season, going 2-for-3. 1B Angel Perez went 2-for-3 with a walk and two doubles, giving him five on the season.
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 6:15 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:35 PM – TBD
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – TBD
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 10:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 11:00 AM – TBD
