The Arizona Fall League announced the representatives for the annual Fall-Stars game to be held this Saturday night. Pitcher Adrian Sampson, first baseman Josh Bell and catcher Elias Diaz will represent the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in the game.
The game usually has two players from each team, with a few teams sending one representative due to roster limitations. It normally isn’t based on results, more it’s a showcase of the best players in the league. Tyler Glasnow and Joely Rodriguez have been the two best Pirates players so far and Glasnow is the best prospect from the team as well, but he is scheduled to pitch Thursday, while Rodriguez will follow him on Friday, so neither would be available to pitch in the game.
Bell has struggled defensively with the move to first base, committing four errors in his limited time, but that has to be expected from someone who took up the position last month in the Instructional League. Diaz has played well defensively, receiving praise from numerous people attending the games. Neither has hit well in the league though. Coming into Monday’s game, Bell was hitting .234/.308/.340 in 47 at-bats. Diaz is batting even lower, but he does have a higher OPS with his .222/.344/.333 slash line in eight games.
Adrian Sampson wasn’t listed in the article(linked above) originally, but he made the team as well. He has been pitching in relief, throwing a total of eight innings over six appearances. He has a 3.38 ERA, with five strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP.
The game will be televised on MLB Network at 8 PM EST.
