Sammy Siani has been one of the best hitters in the Arizona Fall League this offseason. It should be no surprise that he was also one of the best hitters in the Fall Stars Game on Saturday night.
The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect started the game in left field for the National League Fall Stars, batting fifth in the lineup. He went 2-for-5 on the night, and was one of two starters who played a complete game.
Siani’s first hit of the night came in the bottom of the third inning, with the NL trailing 5-3. He reached on a single, then came all the way around to score the fourth run of the game on a double in the next at-bat. He hit a one out single in the fifth inning, but was left on the bases.
Taken out of William Penn Charter School with the 37th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Siani has taken a big step forward this year. He was promoted to Altoona early in the season, after hitting for a .324 average and a .966 OPS in the first month of the season in High-A Greensboro.
After two months in Double-A, Siani began to hit. He had an eight-game hitting streak following the trade deadline, and continued hitting for a .296 average and a .766 OPS through the remainder of the season. Now, Siani has been one of the best hitters in the AFL.
Siani wasn’t the only Pirates prospect who had a big night. Right-handed pitcher Derek Diamond got the start for the NL, pitching a scoreless first inning.
Diamond led off the game by getting a fly out to Siani. After a ground out to the second batter, he allowed his lone hit of the game — a line drive to center field. Diamond turned to his teammate again, getting a line drive to Siani to end the inning.
With a 2.45 ERA across 11 innings, Diamond has been one of the best pitchers in the AFL. He’s mostly worked in relief, despite being a starter during his pro career. He’s shown his best swing and miss in the Fall League, generating a strikeout per inning for the first time since college. He also continues showing plus control, with just two walks allowed.
The Pirates drafted Diamond in the sixth round in 2022 out of Mississippi. He spent the 2024 season in the High-A rotation, with a 4.80 ERA in 95.2 innings, along with an 83:19 K/BB. Featuring a low-90s fastball and good breaking stuff, Diamond has a better chance of reaching the Majors as a reliever, which makes his AFL work encouraging.
Geovanny Planchart was the third representative from the Pirates to be selected to the game. The catcher entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the seventh inning. He got one plate appearance in the eighth inning, grounding out to advance the go-ahead run to second with two outs. The run did not score, and the NL lost in the 9th inning.
Planchart also spent most of the 2024 season in High-A Greensboro, where he’s had a bit of a different season than his AFL results. He was a good defender behind the plate, but only hit for a .223 average and a .325 OPS. What stood out was his .350 OBP, which might have helped him eventually get called up to Double-A. Planchart has been hitting .345/.457/.586 with two homers in the AFL.
The Pirates signed Planchart out of Venezuela at the end of the 2018-19 international signing period, and sent him to the DSL in 2019. He put up an .839 OPS before the world shut down. On the other side of the pandemic, the Pirates called Planchart up to the FCL in 2021, and he had an .862 OPS in 98 plate appearances. His entire career has been small samples at various levels, but he’s shown promise on both sides of the ball. His small sample in the AFL this offseason has been enough to justify a bump to the upper levels in 2025.
The AFL is off on Sunday. The Fall League concludes next Saturday with the Championship game, and there are only four regular season games remaining. Scottsdale is 12-14, with an elimination number of one. They play their next game on Monday at 2:30 PM EST against the best team in the league.
