The Pittsburgh Pirates will have three of their prospects in the Eastern League All-Star game, as Ramon Cabrera, Brandon Cumpton, and Brock Holt have all been named to the team.
Cabrera is currently hitting for a .241/.302/.313 line in 195 at-bats. His selection is somewhat of a surprise considering his stat line.
There’s not much of a surprise with Cumpton. The right-hander has made 14 starts, putting up a 3.43 ERA in 86.2 innings, along with a 55:23 K/BB ratio. Cumpton leads Altoona in innings, strikeouts, and his ERA is the highest among starters.
Brock Holt has put up a good season at the plate, hitting for a .316/.377/.426 line in 256 at-bats. He’s been on fire in June, hitting for a .365/.434/.471 line in 85 at-bats. Holt was named the MVP of last year’s Eastern League All-Star Game.
The contest will take place on July 11th.
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.
I got an email from a student of mine today. He told me that he and his father went to the Altoona/Harrisburgh series. He told me that he got a baseball autographed for me because he knew I was a Pirate fan. On the ball? McPherson, Holt, Grossman…and Gerrit Cole. He even had Cole personalize it. This was the day AFTER Cole got hit. How cool did that make me feel as his teacher? ….awesome.
More proof that Holt needs to be promoted.
As surprised as i was at first to hear that Cabrera was selected then i look he was 4th among all Eastern League Catchers in Batting Average