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Chris Sharpe Will Play Winter Ball in Puerto Rico

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have a working agreement with Gigantes de Carolina of the winter league in Puerto Rico (officially named Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente). They will be sending multiple players there this winter just like they did last year. The first name was announced yesterday, as the Gigantes confirmed that Altoona Curve outfielder will be with the team when they open up the season on November 15th.

Sharpe had a terrific first half with the Bradenton Marauders in 2019, which led to him being promoted to Altoona shortly after the All-Star break. He hit .292/.385/.451 in 64 games with Bradenton, collecting 17 doubles, two triples, five homers and stealing 15 bases. The 23-year-old Sharpe showed more power with Altoona, though it came with a lower average/OBP and the stolen bases went away. He hit .216/.278/.429 in 68 games with the Curve, picking up 14 doubles and 11 homers.

Sharpe was a 14th round pick in 2017, who received an over-slot bonus to sign as a draft-eligible sophomore. He was injured for a good portion of 2018 at West Virginia, where he put up a .722 OPS in 85 games. One of the big differences in his game this year was cutting back on his strikeouts, going from a 29.4% strikeout rate last year, to 22.7% this season.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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