The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of minor league moves on Tuesday, with some of the moves being known ahead of time. On Sunday, it was learned that Termarr Johnson, Michael Kennedy, and Javier Rivas would each be promoted up a level. Those three were promoted, along with several other players moving between Bradenton and Greensboro.
Altoona Moves
Termarr Johnson was moved up from Greensboro, after a big weekend in Greensboro that saw him hit a home run, a double, and steal four bases. Johnson finished the year in High-A hitting .238/.372/.385 with 13 homers and 20 stolen bases.
His numbers were better from the middle of May until his promotion, though he did slump a bit in late July and early August. The Pirates promoted the 20-year-old after his recent stretch of hitting over the last week, making him one of the youngest players to play Double-A in this system in the last few decades.
The 2022 fourth overall pick, Johnson has advanced contact skills, and makes good adjustments to pitches in the box. It will be interesting to see how he fares against more advanced pitchers who can challenge him. It’s possible that he does better in Altoona, where he’ll need to rely on his contact approach more than a power approach.
The Pirates moved infielder Brenden Dixon to the development list to make room for Johnson on the roster.
Greensboro Moves
After throwing five shutout innings on Sunday, Michael Kennedy was promoted from Bradenton to Greensboro. Drafted in the fourth round out of high school in 2022, Kennedy put up a 4.07 ERA in 73 innings in Bradenton, with an 80:16 K/BB.
The lefty returned from the injured list earlier this month, and in five appearances put up a 2.33 ERA in 19.1 innings, with a 20:5 K/BB. Those numbers were a bit inflated by a 1.1 inning relief appearance, when he allowed three earned runs. He had a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings across four starts this month.
Carlos Jimenez was also promoted to Greensboro. The right-hander had a 3.42 ERA in 71 innings with Bradenton, with an 88:66 K/BB. His control was alarming in the first half, but got better as the season continued. He walked 45 in 35 innings during his first three months of the season. The last two months have seen 21 walks in 36 innings. He has a 2.00 ERA and 37 strikeouts in that time.
Jimenez features one of the best changeups in the system, along with a mid-90s fastball that hits 97-98. The 22-year-old will go up against more advanced hitters in High-A, which will be a test for the control issues that have held him back.
Javier Rivas was moved up, in a move that was previously reported. The 6′ 6″ infielder has impressive raw power, and hit 12 homers and 19 doubles in his time with Bradenton. He had swing and miss issues, with a 32.2% strikeout rate, and a .223/.283/.393 line.
Rivas was performing better lately, especially in the power department. He hit .245/.298/.509 with three homers and five doubles in the month of August. He had a down month of July, but a monster month of June where he hit .341/.400/.646.
Duce Gourson was also promoted on the hitting side. The second baseman was drafted in the ninth round last month, and played in 11 games for the Marauders. Gourson hit .229/.438/.343 in 35 at-bats, with four doubles, two steals, and a 10:10 BB/K ratio.
The draft profile for Gourson was a second baseman who controls the zone well, with gap power, and some speed on the bases. He showed that profile in his brief time in Single-A, and will now get a challenge more similar to his time with UCLA.
Bradenton Moves
The Marauders activated two pitchers off the 7-day injured list, with right-handed pitchers Tyler Kennedy and Hung-Leng Chang returning to the team.
Kennedy is one of the hardest throwers on the team, routinely hitting 97-98 MPH, but has some serious control issues. He walked 21 batters in 7.1 innings between June and July, and has a 9.00 ERA on the season.
Chang has worked as a starter in the Bradenton rotation this year. In 74.1 innings, he has a 4.48 ERA and a 69:25 K/BB ratio. At the age of 22, he’s more an organizational arm for the lower levels, which will be needed after the promotions of Kennedy and Jimenez.
The Marauders also activated catcher Justin Miknis, who was placed on the development list earlier this month. Miknis is hitting .179/.349/.238 in 84 at-bats this year, being used as an organizational player when the Marauders need an extra player.
Enmanuel Terrero was placed on the 7-day injured list. The left-handed hitting outfielder had a .161/.256/.265 line in 155 at-bats with the Marauders, hitting four homers and stealing three bases.
Finally, infielder Carlos Caro was promoted from the FCL roster. The 19-year-old had a .305/.410/.443 line with two homers and eight doubles in the FCL this year. This followed a .310/.440/.504 line with five homers and eight doubles last year in the DSL. Caro was signed by the Pirates in late 2022 as an international free agent, and has done nothing but hit in rookie ball over the last two years.
