If you’ve been following the nightly Prospect Watch, you’ve probably noticed two very long streaks by two Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.
Down Through the Quad
Robbie Grossman currently has a 35 game on-base streak for the Bradenton Marauders. The streak began on July 3rd, and is actually his second longest streak of the season. His longest streak lasted 37 games, spanning from May 21st to July 1st. Both of Grossman’s streaks are broken up by one game, an 0-for-3 performance on July 2nd.
During his current streak, Grossman has gone without a hit in just six games. During the streak, he has a .301/.429/.474 line in 133 at-bats. Grossman has reached base safely in 104 of his 113 games this year in high-A. On the season he has a .287/.421/.426 lie in 523 plate appearances. He has 105 runs on the season, and with 94 walks, he’s just six away from being the first minor leaguer with 100 runs and 100 walks since Nick Swisher in 2004.
Through the Gymnasium
Raul Fortunato currently has a 35 game hitting streak down in the Dominican Summer League. The center fielder started his streak on June 29th, and has recorded at least one hit in 53 of his 59 games this year. During the streak, Fortunato has a .407/.456/.644 line in 135 at-bats. On the season, Fortunato has a .339/.425/.522 line, which is a big turnaround from his .209/.287/.277 line in 2010. This is Fortunato’s third year in the DSL, and he’s a good candidate to make the jump to the US in 2012. He also has 31 stolen bases in 42 attempts.
Fortunato’s hitting streak is the longest in minor league baseball this year, and is the longest since Harold Garcia had a 37 game hitting streak in 2010 in the Florida State League. The longest hitting streak in minor league history belongs to Joe Wilhoit, who had a 69 game streak in 1919 in the Western League. The longest since 1954 was in 2009, when James McOwen had a 45 game hitting streak in the California League. The DSL Pirates only have eight games remaining in their regular season.
