Winter recap for players from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the last three days.
Sunday
In the Dominican, Erik Gonzalez played his third game and went 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Joel Cesar gave up his first runs of the winter after starting with 3.1 shutout frames over four appearances. On Sunday he allowed two runs on four hits, while recording just two outs.
Jesus Liranzo bounced back from allowing his first runs of the winter on Wednesday, by throwing a shutout inning on one hit and one strikeout.
In Mexico, Fabricio Macias saw his team lose 3-1 in 22 innings. He hit an RBI double in the second inning, then his team didn’t score again over the next 20 innings. Macias struck out four times in a row, before making contact in his final three at-bats and finishing 2-for-8 with two doubles. He also reached on a hit-by-pitch. Here’s the first double, with a runner getting thrown out at home, which would have likely made this a much shorter day.
¡Guarden esa pelota! ⚾️⚾️⚾️
Primer doblete en la carrera de Fabricio Macías pone en ventaja a los @AguilasDeMxli
Fernando Villegas came on as a pinch-runner in the top of the seventh and then stayed on in right field. He struck out in his only at-bat.
Monday
There was only one game played in winter ball on Monday. Fernando Villegas played right field for the final two innings in his team’s 3-2 win. He did not get a chance to bat.
Tuesday
In the Dominican, Erik Gonzalez started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 with a run scored. He’s 4-for-13 with a .760 OPS in four games, with two starts at shortstop and two at third base.
Jesus Liranzo had a scoreless appearance, but it was not a good outing. He recorded one out in the fifth, while allowing two (out of two) inherited runs to score. Liranzo gave up two hits. In seven appearances, he has allowed three runs over six innings.
In Mexico, Fabricio Macias was in center field and batted lead-off for the first time in his team’s 5-4 win in 12 innings. He went 1-for-7 with his first triple and a run scored. Macias is hitting .250/.292/.341 in 48 plate appearances over 15 games. With some more information about the league, it makes those stats look much better. The average age in the Mexican winter league is 29 years old and there are more than 30 players who have big league experience. Macias, who is 21 years old, is the youngest player on his team.
Randy Romero started in center field and went 0-for-2 before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. He is hitting .222/.222/.222 in 18 plate appearances over 11 games. Romero, who turned 20 years old recently, is the youngest player on his team.
Fernando Villegas grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning, then stayed in the game in right field. He did not bat again (second game of doubleheader, seven inning contest). He is 3-for-11 with three doubles in 11 games. Villegas, at 21 years old, is the youngest position player on his team.
