Thomas Harrington threw seven shutout innings last night for the Altoona Curve. This was the second time in Harrington’s two-year career that he’s pitched seven shutout frames, with the first being on June 8th in Greensboro.
On the 4th of July, Harrington limited fireworks from the other team. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out six. He now has a 2.72 ERA in 49.2 innings across his first ten appearances in Double-A, with an impressive 48:6 K/BB.
The Pirates drafted Harrington 36th overall in 2022, and he’s emerged as a top five prospect in their system. In my prospect rankings update this week, I had Harrington as the number four prospect in the system, with the upside to be an above-average starter in the majors.
With the way he’s pitching so far in Altoona, the Pirates could see Harrington in Pittsburgh at some point in 2025, giving them another option for a future pitching staff that is looking like it could be elite.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS won 5-3
- RHP Jake Woodford: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
- CF Ji Hwan Bae: 2-for-4, 3B
- SS Alika Williams: 3-for-4, RBI
- C Henry Davis: 2-for-3
- LHP Ryan Borucki: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Henry Davis made his first rehab appearance with Indianapolis, catching a complete game and picking up two hits. Ryan Borucki pitched a perfect inning in relief, striking out the side. Jake Woodford and Luis Cessa combined for three runs in 5.2 innings.
STATCAST HEROES
Liover Peguero went 1-for-4 with a double, which was his 16th of the year. The double traveled 106.4 MPH. He also had a fielders choice at 107.9 MPH.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 1-0, led by Thomas Harrington’s seven shutout innings.
- 2B Tsung-Che Cheng: 2-for-3, 2 2B, BB
- 1B Joe Perez: 1-for-2, 2B, BB
- LF-RF Sammy Siani: 1-for-3, RBI
- LHP Luis Peralta: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
- SS Kervin Pichardo: 1-for-3
Tsung-Che Cheng picked up two doubles, giving him 13 on the year. He also made some nice plays in the field, helping to preserve the shutout led by Harrington. Luis Peralta pitched 1.1 scoreless innings. Since being promoted to Altoona, he’s thrown 4.2 shutout innings across three appearances.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO won 8-4
- LHP Hunter Barco: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
- SS Termarr Johnson: 2-for-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI
- 2B Mitch Jebb: 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB
- 3B Kalae Harrison: 1-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI
- RF P.J. Hilson: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB, RBI
Termarr Johnson hit his eighth homer of the year, while reaching base safely four times. He’s hit seven of those eight home runs since May 18th, and is batting .288/.406/.484 during that stretch, with a 20.7% strikeout rate and a 14.9% walk rate. Hunter Barco now has a 3.34 ERA in 62 innings, with a 77:22 K/BB. Mitch Jebb stole his 21st base of the year. Kalae Harrison hit his first homer in High-A.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON lost 2-1
- RHP Aaron Shortridge: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
- C Omar Alfonzo: 2-for-4
- LF Eddy Rodriguez: 2-for-4
- 2B Jeral Toledo: 1-for-3, BB
- LHP Connor Oliver: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Aaron Shortridge made his best rehab appearance so far, throwing four shutout innings with seven strikeouts as the starter. Shortridge pitched five shutout innings in the FCL, before allowing three earned runs in 2.1 innings during his first appearance in Single-A. This was his second start at this level, and his first start of four innings. Connor Oliver pitched the final four frames.
STATCAST HEROES
Omar Alfonzo had two hits, with his hardest being 100.8 MPH. He also had a 110 MPH groundout. Shortridge had six whiffs on 11 swings against his slider. He also had three whiffs on his cutter. Oliver had three whiffs on each of his fastballs, and two whiffs each on his curve and changeup.
ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES
FCL PIRATES won 8-2
- RHP Zander Mueth: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
- SS Jhonny Severino: 2-for-3, HR, 2B, BB, SB, 5 RBI
- 3B Yerry De Los Santos: 2-for-3, HR, BB, 3 RBI
- 1B Tony Blanco Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B
- 2B Roinny Aguiar: 1-for-2, 2B
Zander Mueth threw five innings for the fourth start in a row. In 20 innings over the last four starts, he’s allowed just one earned run, with a 23:7 K/BB. The Pirates drafted Mueth 67th overall last year. Jhonny Severino went 2-for-3 with a double and his ninth homer of the year. He also stole his tenth base of the year. Yerry De Los Santos hit his fifth homer of the year, and second in as many games.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
DSL PIRATES BLACK won 6-5
- CF Bralyn Brazoban: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, SB
- 3B Michell Ojeda: 1-for-2, 3 RBI
- DH Kendrick Herrera: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
Bralyn Brazoban, the top international signing by the Pirates in this year’s class, hit his third double of the year.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD lost 2-0
- LHP Keuri Almonte: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
- 1B Edward Florentino: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
- DH Jonathan Rivero: 1-for-4
Edward Florentino was signed in January as part of this year’s international class. He’s had the best numbers so far, hitting his sixth double on Thursday, with a .944 OPS on the season.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – RHP Domingo German (3-4, 5.75)
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Po-Yu Chen (2-7, 4.38)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – RHP Patrick Reilly (4-4, 3.80)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 7:05 PM – RHP Mike Burrows (0-1, 9.00)
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 10:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, Game Two – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 11:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 11:00 AM – TBD
