All four Pirates hitting prospects got in the game, and Aaron Pribanic pitched two innings, as the Mesa Solar Sox won 13-5:
-Josh Harrison (.254) started at third base, batting second. Harrison went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored.
-Tony Sanchez (.217) started at catcher, batting fifth. Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, and three runs scored. Opposing base runners were 4-for-4 against him with stolen bases tonight.
-Jordy Mercer (.259) started at shortstop, batting seventh. Mercer went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a HBP.
-Andrew Lambo (.308) had a pinch hit single and scored a run.
-Aaron Pribanic (0.73) pitched two shutout innings, allowing a walk and a hit. Pribanic threw 25 pitches, with 13 for strikes. Pribanic threw 24 fastballs out of his 25 pitches, including fastballs for the first 20 pitches, before throwing an 80 MPH changeup. His fastball ranges from 89-93 MPH, averaging 90.8 MPH. His last three pitches came in at 93, 92, and 92. Pribanic had a 6-0 GO/AO ratio.
The AFL Rising Stars Game is tomorrow at 9:00 PM EST, airing live on the MLB Network. Tony Sanchez is the lone Pirates prospect participating in the event.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
For a catcher whose defense is supposed to be his greatest asset I’m a little worried about the very high success rate opposing base stealers are having on Sanchez, not to mention the number of passed balls he’s been credited with so far in his short time in the AFL (3 PBs plus another throwing error in 12 games played). His base stealing numbers were bad in A+ this season, but I tried to write that off due to his shoulder injury. It’s getting harder to continue calling him a stellar defensive catcher while blaming all of his problems on injury.