Billy Cook made his debut in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system on Saturday night, with a big day on offense.
The super utility player, acquired at the trade deadline for minor league RHP Patrick Reilly, went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a stolen base. The doubles put him at 17 on the season in Triple-A, while the stolen base was his 13th of the year.
Cook began the season in Double-A for the Baltimore Orioles, but moved up to Triple-A after 15 games. He was hitting .279/.372/.485 at the Triple-A level at the time of the trade, with 11 homers, 15 doubles, and 12 steals in 17 attempts.
Capable of playing all over the field, Cook has spent time this year at first, second, third, and all three outfield spots. He profiles best in the Pirates’ system as an outfielder, due to their lack of depth at the position, and Cook’s ability to play all three spots. He started in right field on Saturday.
Cook wasn’t the only trade deadline addition who had a big game for Indianapolis…
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS lost 8-7 in ten innings, while getting a big debut from Billy Cook.
- LF Nick Yorke: 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI
- C Henry Davis: 1-for-5, 2B
- 3B Malcom Nunez: 1-for-4, BB, RBI
- SS Andres Alvarez: 1-for-3, BB, RBI
- RHP Domingo German: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
Nick Yorke picked up two doubles, while playing his first game in left field in the Pirates’ system. Yorke is now 5-for-15 with three doubles since being acquired for Quinn Priester. RHP Domingo German allowed four runs in the second inning, but rebounded and pitched seven innings total, giving up his fifth run in the seventh.
STATCAST HEROES
Henry Davis had the hardest hit for Indianapolis, with a 106.6 MPH double. Yorke followed him with a 106.3 MPH double in the same inning. Davis also had two groundouts that were 102.3 MPH and 99.7 MPH.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA lost 4-1
- RF Sammy Siani: 2-for-3, 2 SB
- CF Tres Gonzalez: 1-for-4, RBI
- 3B Brenden Dixon: 1-for-4
- LF Yoyner Fajardo: 1-for-5
- RHP Jack Carey: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Sammy Siani picked up two stolen bases in the game, giving him 11 on the season with Altoona. He’s had a nice stretch this week, going 7-for-14 with a double and a triple over his last four games. Jack Carey pitched the final three innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three. Carey has a 3.62 ERA in 37.1 innings in Altoona’s bullpen this year, with a 35:14 K/BB.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost game one 5-3
- C Shawn Ross: 1-for-2, HR, BB, RBI
- 1B Josiah Sightler: 1-for-3, HR, RBI
- DH Luke Brown: 1-for-3, 3B
- RHP J.P. Massey: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
- RHP Scott Randall: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Greensboro’s offense only had three hits, with two of them being home runs. Shawn Ross hit his system-leading 20th homer of the season. Josiah Sightler hit his 12th homer of the year. J.P. Massey gave up four runs in the second inning.
Game two was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning with a 0-0 tie. It will be resumed on Sunday.
- RHP Carlson Reed: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Carlson Reed had his High-A debut cut short, but pitched 3.1 shutout innings. He picked up his first strikeout right before the game was shut down by rain. Reed had a 2.43 ERA in 77.2 innings with Bradenton this season, with a 96:42 K/BB.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON lost 9-2
- 3B Javier Rivas: 1-for-3, HR, RBI
- C Axiel Plaz: 1-for-4, HR, RBI
- SS Jhonny Severino: 1-for-4
- 1B Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-4
- LF Esmerlyn Valdez: 1-for-4
Javier Rivas hit his tenth homer of the year, putting Bradenton on the board 1-0 in the third inning. It was his second homer in the last week. Axiel Plaz hit his 14th homer of the year, extending the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning. It was all downhill from there, with a Bradenton bullpen game falling apart for eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
STATCAST HEROES
The homer from Rivas traveled 384 feet at 110.1 MPH. Plaz hit his homer 98.6 MPH, traveling 367 feet. Omar Alfonzo had a single at 107.9 MPH.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
DSL PIRATES BLACK lost 4-1
- LF Andres Villafane: 2-for-4, 2B
- DH Javier Acevedo: 1-for-2, BB
- RHP Patricio Ress: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
The Pirates signed Andres Villafane in January 2023. He only had 39 plate appearances in his first pro season, putting up a .500 OPS. He’s done much better this season, batting .319/.373/.495 in 103 plate appearances. Villafane hit his seventh double of the year on Saturday.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD won 13-6
- SS Adbiel Feliz: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
- CF Ruben Vizcaya: 2-for-3, BB, 2 RBI, SB
- DH Edwarli Brioso: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI
Adbiel Feliz was the second biggest signing of the most recent international class. He’s had a rough debut, with a .517 OPS, but has shown improvements lately. He finished the month of July with a .356 OBP, and has reached base safely in seven of his last nine games. Saturday’s two-hit performance was his second multi-hit game of the season, with the first being a three-hit game on July 13th.
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 1:35 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 1:00 PM – RHP Drake Fellows (2-3, 4.24)
- High-A: Greensboro, 12:30 PM – Completion of Suspended Game
- High-A: Greensboro, Game Two – RHP Wilber Dotel (7-4, 5.56)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 12:00 PM – Rain
