The Arizona Fall League begins their season with one game on Monday night. This year the prospects from the Pittsburgh Pirates will be playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, who make their debut Tuesday night at 9:30 PM EST in Salt River.
This year’s AFL season will run until the Championship Game on November 16th in Salt River. The Fall Stars Game will be played a week earlier. Games played at Salt River, Glendale, Surpirse, and Peoria will have the automated ball-strike system in place, along with Statcast data available.
From the Pirates, the top prospect will be Termarr Johnson. The 2022 fourth overall pick is one of 14 top 100 prospects from MLB Pipeline’s rankings who will be playing in the showcase league.
Mike Burrows was previously slated to go to the AFL, in a year where he returned from Tommy John and threw 51.1 innings. Those plans have apparently been scrapped. Valentin Linarez will replace Burrows, joining fellow Pirates prospects Kervin Pichardo, Sammy Siani, Khristian Curtis, Eddy Yean, Geovanny Planchart, Derek Diamond, and Brandan Bidois.
Information on each player can be found below, with their AFL expectations.
Termarr Johnson, INF – The Pirates promoted Johnson to Double-A at the end of the season, where he got into 14 games. He hit .229/.316/.396 with two homers in 48 at-bats with Altoona. That came after a season in Greensboro where Johnson hit 13 homers and stole 20 bases with a .757 OPS in 395 at-bats. He didn’t have a great season, starting slow, getting better as the season progressed, and fading for a bit before the promotion. Johnson has seen limited time against upper-level pitching, though he’s shown promise in that limited time. He’ll get his best upper-level experience with this AFL assignment.
Kervin Pichardo, INF – The number 36 prospect in the system, I like the placement of Pichardo. The Pirates acquired him from the Padres at the start of the season when the 22-year-old was heading into his first full Double-A season. He hit for a .679 OPS on the season, which was below the league average. He did improve as the season progressed, with his best months being in June and July. The AFL will give him additional work against upper level pitching, with Pichardo needing to work on improving his on-base abilities.
Sammy Siani, OF – This is another placement that I like. Siani was promoted to Double-A after 20 games with a .965 OPS in Greensboro to start the season. He had a .693 OPS in Double-A, which was slightly above average. This was largely due to a month of August when the former first rounder hit for an .812 OPS, doing a great job of getting on base and hitting for extra bases. Siani didn’t carry that into September, though he did have a .275 average. The 23-year-old will benefit from additional time against upper level pitchers.
Khristian Curtis, RHP – At the age of 22, Curtis is a bit old for Single-A, where he pitched 75.1 innings this season. The Pirates had him working out of the rotation, where his six pitch mix featured a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and a few swing and miss offerings. The 2023 12th rounder could probably pitch as a reliever in the upper levels next year. The Pirates are working him as a starter, banking on the pitch mix and the 6′ 5″, 210 pound frame. His issue is control, holding back the impact of his difficult to hit secondary. He could make the Majors as a reliever, but will likely continue working as a starting project. That could be continued in the AFL now that Burrows is out of the mix.
Eddy Yean, RHP – This will be the third push that Yean will receive in 2024. He was pushed up to Double-A after a 5.01 ERA in Greensboro in 2023. Yean improved at the higher level, with a 3.45 ERA in 73 innings out of the bullpen, and a 65:21 K/BB. The Pirates pushed him up to Triple-A for two shutout innings at the end of the year. He’ll be a guy to watch as a potential shutdown reliever against showcase hitters. Yean works with a mid-90s sinker and a swing and miss slider. That combo could get him to the Majors in 2025. He was acquired by the Pirates in the Josh Bell trade. The AFL placement here is interesting, as Yean is eligible for minor league free agency. It’s safe to say the Pirates plan to bring him back.
Valentin Linarez, RHP – Linarez began his season in Altoona, but struggled with a 6.46 ERA, stemming from control issues. He returned to High-A, where he pitched in 2023, and had a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings, with a 43:12 K/BB. Linarez has a mid-90s sinker and a swing and miss slider. He could make it to the Majors as a reliever one day, but will need to improve his control against upper level hitters. He will get another opportunity there in the AFL this fall.
Derek Diamond, RHP – After making nine starts at the High-A level in 2023, Diamond returned to Greensboro for the entire 2024 season. He had a 4.80 ERA in 95.2 innings out of the rotation. He worked his way into the rotation with a good month in April as a long reliever. He struggled in the new role, before putting up a 3.86 ERA in 28 innings in August. Diamond could excel as a reliever, and could move back to that role in the AFL. As a starter, his stuff doesn’t profile him making it beyond Triple-A. Diamond was drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. The AFL will give him his first look at upper-level hitting.
Geovanny Planchart, C – One of the better defensive catchers in the system, Planchart made it up to Altoona by the end of the season when they needed catching help. Prior to that, he spent his season in Greensboro as the defensive option to two power hitters. He hit for a .675 OPS, but stood out for his defensive abilities. He should help the Pirates pitchers, along with the pitchers from other rosters when he’s behind the plate. Planchart could make it full-time to the upper levels of the minors due to his defense.
Brandan Bidois, RHP – The relief prospect spent the year in Greensboro, with a 4.25 ERA in 29.2 innings, along with a 43:17 K/BB. He finished with a single shutout inning in Triple-A. During that inning, he threw a four-seam that reached 96.4 MPH, sitting 94.7. He also mixed in an upper-80s slider and a mid-70s curveball. Bidois has a good mix of pitches, and will be an interesting reliever to watch as he makes the jump to the upper levels. He was originally signed by the Pirates as a free agent out of Australia in September 2019.
